Meeting God in the Mundane: A Beginner's Guide to Christian Meditation
“…put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”—Eph. 4:22-24
[This is part 2 of a series. You can find part 1 here.]
Okay, so you’ve worked out your blocks to meditation. You understand the basics. You see the benefits.
How do you actually do it?
From my own experience, I have found the best way to begin meditation is not by adding yet another discipline to my list, but to simply start where I am and with what I’m doing and using that as my meditation moment. So let me share a page from my own journal.
One particular sinful struggle I am (continually) working on is my resentment when I brush (my disabled daughter) Anah’s teeth. I’ve been doing this for ten years. And will probably need to for the rest of the forseeable future.
So how might meditation help me in this situation?
Think About What You’re Thinking
As I mentioned in my last post, we are always meditating on something. Before practicing this discipline then, it helps to know what that focus already is.
In my scenario, my thoughts run like this: This isn’t fair. I shouldn’t have to be brushing a 17-year-old’s teeth. This is gross. She is disgusting. I deserve better than this.
It’s no surprise, if my thoughts run along these lines, that I feel resentful. I resent that it is repetitive. I resent her neediness. I resent her. With thoughts like these, my relationship with Anah will not improve, much less reflect Christ.
So what thoughts are running through your mind?
If this is hard for you, here’s something that has helped me: Check your emotions.
Like a “check engine” light on our dashboards, what we feel is often an indicator of what’s going on underneath the hood of our lives.
When I react impatiently to my daughter, it reveals that I believe that she ought to run on my timetable. I think I’m in charge.
When I let bitterness bleed into my seemingly innocent words, it reveals the poison that has been stewing in my soul. I think I deserve better.
When I feel scorn towards her continual inability to do such a simple task, it reveals my pride. I think I am better.
Now if you asked me if I believed these things, I would say, “Of course not!” But my emotions betray what I really think, no matter what I profess.
And the longer I stew on these things, the more I will be shaped and formed by them. Instead of being shaped by God’s Word, I am being shaped by my own sinful heart.
Over time, as I dwell on these things, these are the things—though they are false—that will affect my interpretation of life. These thoughts do not feed a love for God, but a love for self.
So What do your emotions reveal to you about your thoughts?
Confess What You’re Thinking to God
After realizing what I’m thinking, I often feel other emotions. Guilt. Hopelessness.
I also begin to think other thoughts: I’ll never change. This is too hard. God must hate me. I need to work harder.
All of these are not gospel truths! And yet if I’m thinking these things every day, no wonder I easily go astray!
This is where the truth of the Gospel becomes the power and motivation to change.
Our God did not save us merely to usher us into heaven. He promises to walk with us here and now, in the trenches of the hard stuff of life—not just to survive, but to grow.
So any time I engage in sin, even at the thought level, confession helps restore my relationship and plug myself back into His life-giving source. Repentance helps me abide again.
And so I do: I confess my actions—impatience, harsh words, ridicule.
I also confess my thoughts—a desire for control and convenience, a lack of compassion, self-worship, unbelief in His power to change my heart.
Question: What do you need to confess before God?
Train Your Thinking to Fuel Your Love for God
It’s one thing to know—and even confess—your thoughts. But if we stop here, it’s like “putting off” without “putting on.”
This is where meditation helps: it helps us begin the long, slow process of change so we become more like Christ. Here’s what I do:
First, I find a fact to focus on.
This truth can come from your current Bible study, a book you’re reading, or even a truth from a song based on Scripture.
Sometimes this is a promise from Scripture. But sometimes, it is simply a truth about who God is—His nature and character.
For me, I can focus on the promise found in 1 Cor. 15:58, or Jesus’ example of foot washing in John 13:3-5 or His ultimate example of servanthood in Phil. 2:5-8. I can go on and on!
Because all of God’s Word is for our sanctification, just pick one. Chances are, like me, you’ll have lots of opportunity to practice, so don’t belabor it at this stage. Just pick one that fits today.
Second, I focus my thoughts on this passage.
You can literally think on the words of the passage. You can also focus on the ideas in the passage.
So for me, during the two minutes I brushed Anah’s teeth, I found a parallel between this and Jesus’ foot washing scene. What encouraged me was that my Savior did not recoil but actively volunteered to do such a distasteful task. This became my focus during that time.
Third, I let my focus fuel my faith and love for Christ.
Meditation is not just a chant. It is not vain repetition. It is meant to be a vehicle to worship.
Interestingly, as I meditate on this story of Christ, I am moved to gratitude. Because my mind is occupied with something else instead of self-pity, I can actually worship the Lord even in the midst of something I have found disgusting.
Each day, I can meditate on something different. Some days, I need hope. Some days, I need joy. Some days, I need to learn my submit my willful heart to His.
But each time I repeat this task, I trust that God is softening, shaping, and transforming me in this most mundane of chores.
Conclusion
This is but one example of how meditation can help me begin the slow work of change. Because I brush Anah’s teeth daily, I have plenty of opportunities to practice. In some ways, it has become my call to worship, an opportunity to commit myself afresh to my Lord for His service.
For me, this is the first step towards getting meditation into my busy life. I find a task that I do every day and use it to get started.
As I slowly begin to see the benefits of meditation, I can begin to let it start flooding into other parts of my day, or even set aside time to specifically meditate. We’ll talk more about growing our meditation practice next week.
But for now, let’s start with something practical, real, right now.
What is something that comes up regularly for you—a temptation to worry, a relationship that prickles you in the office, or like me, a distasteful task?
What thoughts does that situation elicit? What does it reveal about yourself, your heart?
Bring it to the Lord, and then let Him meet you in these moments through meditation to begin the work of change.
Resources:
This is my personal application of Pastor Kim Kira’s sermons “Walking with God Through the Word: Meditation”: Part 1 and Part 2. If you’d like to hear more, I highly recommend them!
