What comes to mind when you hear the term Christian meditation? I am so excited to dive into this topic and discuss how to use Christian meditation as a tool to grow closer with God and embrace more of His peace in our lives. My team and I have carefully and prayerfully cultivated the Christian Meditations for Daily Calm resource to give you practical ways to infuse your spiritual life with peace, give you brand new confidence to help release stress, and to help you grow closer to God. Listen to today’s episode to hear a live example of these guided Christian meditations and watch out for next week’s episode as we dive deeper into the difference between Christian and Eastern meditations.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- [01:33] Post-pandemic observations and a reflection on reconnecting to spirituality
- [05:45] The difference between Christian meditation and Eastern meditation
- [07:47] Why Christian meditation is a powerful tool for growing closer to God
- [13:28] My personal perspective on Christian meditation
- [18:41] The 3 biggest questions women ask about Christian meditation
- [19:29] How the Christian Meditations for Daily Calm were created to support you
- [21:22] A live walkthrough of one of the 30 guided Christian meditations
- [25:16] How to access the 30 Christian Meditations for Daily Calm and resources
- [27:40] What’s next on the podcast
[01:33] Post-pandemic observations and a reflection on reconnecting to spirituality
The idea for offering a guide to Christian meditations came about after taking some time to reflect on a few of the observations I made over the last few months. With the pandemic seemingly coming to an end, a lot of us are getting back into our previous rhythms. While it’s been a beautiful thing to experience things like going on vacation again, I think there are still a lot of things that we’ve taken from the pandemic that we’re trying to reconcile with, and trying to figure out how to bring those things forward into our present lives.
Slowing down allowed us to feel like we had room to breathe in our schedules, and we may miss that as “normalcy” returns. A lot of us find ourselves asking questions like, “How can I have a more holistic life? How can I have more balance? How can I make that down-time a more practical part of how I live my life in general? And how can I incorporate my faith into this time of relaxation and calm that I want to create daily?“
Another thing a lot of us are trying to figure out is how we can format our days so that there is a break for family, our spiritual selves, or a break to manage stress in a different way. Some of the pre-pandemic ways we tried to manage stress aren’t worth going back to, or maybe weren’t even working to begin with, and as we reflect on what we’d like to incorporate as we move forward we’re bringing in more awareness around those things. The more awareness we have the better, because it’s the first step in the healing process. Though a lot of us aren’t sure how to get to the point of awareness.
I also see a wave of people who are looking for meaningful ways to connect with God as well as people discovering their faith for the first time. Maybe they’ve participated in multiple Bible studies over the years but are experiencing a reawakening to the idea of who Christ is and how His love changes us. Maybe they’re looking to incorporate something fresh into their spiritual practice that will bring them closer to God.
Overall, in all of these groups that I’ve seen, there's this similarity: the connection of wanting meaning. We are wanting spirituality to be more than just a Sunday morning experience of going to church and checking a box. We want to be immersed in what it means to be loved by God, to be in His presence, to know Him and welcome Him into every aspect of our lives.
[05:45] The difference between Christian meditation and Eastern meditation
There’s been a noticeable movement within the church to look at other ways to approach being spiritual. With this growing interest, we have to\ be aware of what practices are Biblical and which are not. Next week on the podcast, we’re going to have a deep discussion about how Christian meditation is Biblical and how it differs from the Eastern meditation you may be more familiar with. While we don’t address that in detail in today’s episode, I want to be clear that there is a difference between the two.
There is a strong history in the early church of Christian meditation, and part of that has been carried through in some different denominational practices. We'll explore that more next week, along with all kinds of Bible verses that talk about this concept of meditation.
Bible verse for reflection:
[07:47] Why Christian meditation is a powerful tool for growing closer to God
You may already know that Christian Meditation is a powerful, incredible tool that we can use anytime we feel stressed, want to strengthen our identity in Christ, or get a better grasp of what God's truth and wisdom is in a certain situation, but do you know why?
Why is meditation so powerful, especially for building God-centered confidence and peace?
Christian meditation uses the mind, soul, and body to turn on what's called the parasympathetic nervous system. You may have heard of this before in relation to the ‘fight or flight’ syndrome that takes place in our mind. When we're in ‘fight or flight’ by the amygdala part of our brain, our body is in a reactive kind of a state, it's ready to fight. This is called the sympathetic nervous system. Our body is ready to defend itself, so it’s not a calm state. When it's in an opposite state, which is its natural resting state, it's called the parasympathetic nervous system. Imagine two different reactions to different switches in our body that our brain decides between. Our default pattern is the parasympathetic, which is the rest and digest, and that is the place of calm homeostasis that our body is always trying to return to. However, we often become triggered, like the button is stuck in the odd position for that sympathetic system of fight or flight. If we're stuck in that system, it can be impossible to not feel jittery or chaotic all the time.
One of the beautiful things about Christian meditation is that it's a very practical, simple way to turn on that parasympathetic nervous system. When we have this system on, it allows us to let the emotion be present while also looking at it from that logical, kind, wise mind. This helps us live in the moment, and not just in pain or fear of the future. We're able to refocus our mind on the reality that God is with us, God loves us, we are His daughters, and we are redeemed by Him, no matter the situation.
[13:28] My personal perspective on Christian meditation
Christian meditation is an incredible way to immerse ourselves in the goodness of God. In a lot of ways, the experience can be like sitting in the throne room with God because we’re imagining Him right there with us. We're focusing on scripture, we're meditating on the promises and truth that He's given us and we're inviting Him into that discussion. With Christian meditation, we're letting the Holy Spirit guide us.
Personally, Christian meditation has been a huge blessing for me. It's outside of the typical coping skills we’re taught and it brings me calm in certain situations by refocusing my thoughts. It has been helpful for me to see some of these Biblical concepts in a new way. While I would never say that it's a replacement for time in God's Word or Bible study, I do know that this is another powerful tool for connecting with God.
However, the reality is that there are days when you may not be able to get into God's word for the day, whether you’re just in a season of business or you’ve been up all night with a nursing baby or other commitment, and you’re running short on time. You may not be able to sit down and focus on a 20 minute Bible study, but you might be able to fit in one of these three and a half minute Christian Meditations for Daily Calm.
I mean, let's be real, we all have three and a half minutes, even if it’s going into the bathroom and closing the door or listening while we’re in the shower. I designed Christian Meditations for Daily Calm to be quick and accessible ways to find God and His peace even in moments of stress, so they can be right in your back pocket whenever you need to calm down.
[18:41] The 3 biggest questions women ask about Christian meditation
When it comes to the topic of Christian mediation, there are three questions that typically surface. The first question I usually hear is, “Is it biblical?” The short answer is yes, and we’ll be diving into that answer more on next week’s podcast.
The second biggest question I receive is “What does Christian meditation really look like?” Since this is a common question, I'll be walking you through an outline of what the 30 Christian Meditations for Daily Calm look like, so that you can see the specific pattern that we walk through for yourself.
The third biggest question people have is “How can I make this a part of my regular life?” We'll be doing another episode on that in the future as well, but it’s as simple as fitting 3 minutes into those little corners of our lives, like taking a shower, going to the bathroom, or walking outside to get the mail.
[19:29] How the Christian Meditations for Daily Calm were created to support you
One of the things I love about how we created the Christian Meditations for Daily Calm is how they are all based on a certain experience you may be walking through. For example, the one we walk through in this episode is day nine, and it covers the moments when you need to know that God is your provider.
The whole exercise starts by giving you the ability to choose which topic you need to hear, or whether you’d like to go straight through them day by day for the next 30 days. In the videos, we start with a breathing exercise, giving you a chance to calm the mind and body, and then we introduce the Bible verse for that specific topic as well as a related affirmation.
Afterward, we continue on with a visualization based on the topic and then close that with gratitude and a takeaway to challenge you to really reflect on how you can take that meditation forward with you into your day.
[21:22] A live walkthrough of one of the 30 guided Christian meditations
I wanted to give you a chance to experience Christian meditation for yourself, especially for those of you who are brand new to the concept. This episode includes the audio version, but we also have a video version available for each of the 30 Christian meditations. Here is an example of the Christian Meditations for Daily Calm, and direct transcript from Day nine: When you need to know that God is your provider.
Meditation:
Hello, and welcome to the day nine meditation. Let's begin. Take a moment to find a cozy spot that feels just right for you. Close your eyes as you inhale deeply. And exhale, releasing any tension, letting it float away on the breeze. Welcome peace into your entire being as you breathe in and, as you breathe out, think about the words of Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs, according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”
Repeat silently or out loud: I am having all of my needs met through Jesus by His glorious riches.
I want you to imagine yourself standing in a lush garden surrounded by abundance, by your favorite flowers, by life, the sounds of nature. Visualize this garden as a symbol of God's provision and His abundance in your life. See yourself reaching out and plucking a ripe fruit from a nearby tree. It's your favorite fruit. As you take a bite, savor its sweetness, its nourishment. Feel the satisfaction, feel the contentment that comes from knowing that God is meeting all of your needs right now.
Now picture Jesus standing beside you. His presence radiating peace and assurance. As you look into His eyes, recognize that He is the source of every blessing and provision in your life. Since His love and His care enveloping you, assuring you that he will provide for you in every way.
Return your focus to the present moment. inhaling deeply to center yourself and exhaling to release any stress, any lingering tension. Embrace the truth that God is your provider and He will abundantly meet all of your needs, according to His glorious riches.
When you're ready, slowly open your eyes and step into the world with a heart filled with gratitude and expectation, knowing that your needs are met through the abundance of Christ's glorious riches. Carry this sense of abundance and trust with you throughout your day.
How does knowing that Christ provides for everything you need fill you with confidence? How does it release you from some of the stress you're carrying today?
Take care and I'll see you back here tomorrow for our next meditation.
[25:16] How to access the 30 Christian Meditations for Daily Calm and resources
The 30 Christian Meditations for Daily Calm are available on-demand, meaning you can purchase them from my site at any time. Once you make your purchase, you’ll be directed to a portal with a list of 30 meditations to choose from.
However you decide to structure your use of the meditations, there are tools within your online portal to support you, making it easy and accessible no matter where you are. You can even access the meditations via an app.
Check the Christian Meditations for Daily Calm HERE.
[27:40] What’s next on the podcast
On the next episode of the Christian Mindset Coach Podcast we're going to continue this conversation on Christian meditation, tackling the question: “Is Christian meditation biblical?”
We’ll be discussing how we know it’s okay to use a tool like this and how it differs from New Age meditation or Eastern meditation. I look forward to digging into that with you next week! In the meantime, check out the Christian Meditations for Daily Calm by clicking here.
RESOURCES:
Need a simple, biblical way to manage overwhelm + stress?
We know God offers peace, but…it's so hard to quiet our racing thoughts when life is chaotic.
Here's the great news: Christian meditation is a scientifically proven tool to soothe the nerves + connect with God to restore the soul.
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Get access to these Christian meditations now and enjoy this practical way to lower stress!
GET CHRISTIAN MEDITATIONS FOR DAILY CALM
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