By Dennis and Vicki Martin
In PressPubs.Com
In our rushed and sometimes toxic world, most of us would like nothing more than to relax. Some people have even made a business of helping others relax.
The "relaxation response" popularized by Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School in the 1970’s is based on two simple steps common to all approaches to meditation, past and present:
• focusing the mind on a single object; and
• passively dismissing and ignoring all other thoughts.
Although it may sound a bit "New-Agey", or at least a little mystical, meditation is also part of the ancient Judeo-Christian heritage. The Psalmist speaks often of meditation: "Blessed is the man who ... meditates in [God’s] law day and night" (Psalm 1:1-2). Since David is here speaking of an activity that can fill his days even as he works, it may be a little different from the tuned-out state one often thinks of as "meditation." But they have a lot in common, too.
One reason I myself have failed so miserably at meditating is my inability (or unwillingness?) to dismiss all other thoughts. If I think about the garden of Eden, for example, I may picture trees and flowers. Then I may be interrupted with thoughts of my own garden. What should I plant in that bare spot? Should I fertilize my phlox? I bring my thoughts back to Eden, and wonder about the coverings that were provided. How did they sew them together? And then, inevitably: where is the button I need to sew on my shirt?
And on it goes until I realize that my focus has not been on God, but on me. Applying the two basic "meditation" fundamentals might be helpful here. I could narrow my focus more, maybe choosing a specific aspect of the garden as it reflects God’s character.. And I need to learn to ignore all the personal thoughts that sneak in.
So, how about refining those two fundamentals of meditation? We do need a single focus. In fact, singleness of mind is recommended by God. "The light of the body is the eye; therefore if your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light" (Matthew 6:22 ). This single focus, unlike the mindlessness of popular meditation techniques, has an object. The object is God. David defines for us many of the particular ways in which he focuses on God: "I will meditate also on all your work, and talk of your doings" (Psalm 77:12); "I will meditate on your precepts, and have respect to your ways" (Psalm 119:15).
Focusing our thoughts isn’t really about emptying our minds, it is about filling our minds with the right things. But we may have to make room for those things by consciously narrowing our focus, and excluding some of the clutter.
We need to clear our minds, not of everything, but of everything that distracts us. Usually we are distracted by thoughts of ourselves. But with practice, that can change: "if you... honour him, not going your own way, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words: Then you shall find delight in the LORD" (Isaiah 58:13-14).
Meditation is often done for personal reasons. The "relaxation response" even identifies those reasons. The benefits of relaxation are given as: decreased metabolism, decreased blood pressure and feelings of peace and contentment. Any spiritual benefits are usually seen as secondary. As with happiness, relaxation has become a goal in itself, whereas God presents it to us as a by-product of a life lived for Him.
Why did David meditate? Sometimes he sought the calm that comes from such quiet thinking, even as his enemies sought to slay him: " Princes also did sit and speak against me: but your servant did meditate on your statutes" (Psalm 119:23). Sometimes he did so to increase his understanding of God.
We think about what we love. And if we love the right things, we can be sure that calm will come. As the Psalmist himself said (Psalm 119:165), "Great peace have they that love your law."
In PressPubs.Com
In our rushed and sometimes toxic world, most of us would like nothing more than to relax. Some people have even made a business of helping others relax.The "relaxation response" popularized by Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School in the 1970’s is based on two simple steps common to all approaches to meditation, past and present:
• focusing the mind on a single object; and
• passively dismissing and ignoring all other thoughts.
Although it may sound a bit "New-Agey", or at least a little mystical, meditation is also part of the ancient Judeo-Christian heritage. The Psalmist speaks often of meditation: "Blessed is the man who ... meditates in [God’s] law day and night" (Psalm 1:1-2). Since David is here speaking of an activity that can fill his days even as he works, it may be a little different from the tuned-out state one often thinks of as "meditation." But they have a lot in common, too.
One reason I myself have failed so miserably at meditating is my inability (or unwillingness?) to dismiss all other thoughts. If I think about the garden of Eden, for example, I may picture trees and flowers. Then I may be interrupted with thoughts of my own garden. What should I plant in that bare spot? Should I fertilize my phlox? I bring my thoughts back to Eden, and wonder about the coverings that were provided. How did they sew them together? And then, inevitably: where is the button I need to sew on my shirt?
And on it goes until I realize that my focus has not been on God, but on me. Applying the two basic "meditation" fundamentals might be helpful here. I could narrow my focus more, maybe choosing a specific aspect of the garden as it reflects God’s character.. And I need to learn to ignore all the personal thoughts that sneak in.
So, how about refining those two fundamentals of meditation? We do need a single focus. In fact, singleness of mind is recommended by God. "The light of the body is the eye; therefore if your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light" (Matthew 6:22 ). This single focus, unlike the mindlessness of popular meditation techniques, has an object. The object is God. David defines for us many of the particular ways in which he focuses on God: "I will meditate also on all your work, and talk of your doings" (Psalm 77:12); "I will meditate on your precepts, and have respect to your ways" (Psalm 119:15).
Focusing our thoughts isn’t really about emptying our minds, it is about filling our minds with the right things. But we may have to make room for those things by consciously narrowing our focus, and excluding some of the clutter.
We need to clear our minds, not of everything, but of everything that distracts us. Usually we are distracted by thoughts of ourselves. But with practice, that can change: "if you... honour him, not going your own way, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words: Then you shall find delight in the LORD" (Isaiah 58:13-14).
Meditation is often done for personal reasons. The "relaxation response" even identifies those reasons. The benefits of relaxation are given as: decreased metabolism, decreased blood pressure and feelings of peace and contentment. Any spiritual benefits are usually seen as secondary. As with happiness, relaxation has become a goal in itself, whereas God presents it to us as a by-product of a life lived for Him.
Why did David meditate? Sometimes he sought the calm that comes from such quiet thinking, even as his enemies sought to slay him: " Princes also did sit and speak against me: but your servant did meditate on your statutes" (Psalm 119:23). Sometimes he did so to increase his understanding of God.
We think about what we love. And if we love the right things, we can be sure that calm will come. As the Psalmist himself said (Psalm 119:165), "Great peace have they that love your law."
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