"Be ye mindful..." (1 Chronicles 16:15)

I haven't written much in the past couple of years. Without sharing all the "stuff" that has happened, let me just say it has been rough. Yet, I know that we all have "stuff", and some of that stuff is really BIG and painful, and sad, and lots of hurting, and sorrow-full...BUT, there are also small moments of calm, and pleasantness, and happiness, and cheer, even delight. Indeed, "there is an opposition in all things" (2 Nephi 2:11).

Over the past few years, I have learned a lot about mindfulness. What does it mean to be mindful? For me, it has come to mean that I purposely pay attention to what I am experiencing. And as I do so, I do it without finding fault or being critical of my experience. It is a way of experiencing what is (see Jacob 4:13; D&C 93:24), rather than allowing my mind to make up stories and lead me down a path of despair. 

I become aware of my breath (see Mosiah 2:21), slowing down and paying attention to the air that fills my lungs and then paying attention to the air as it leaves. Doing this brings my mind to the present moment quickly, it lowers the heart rate, it helps control my thoughts. It helps stop the train wreck thinking, the thinking that runs away with the worst-case scenarios ever! It brings me back to the present, to what is happening at the moment.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

God wants us to be mindful of Him and His ways. In 1 Chronicles it says, "Be ye mindful always of His covenant; the word which He commanded to a thousand generations" (1 Chronicles 16:15). Paul wrote to Timothy, "I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy" (2 Timothy 1:3-4 italics added). I am praying for you. I know God is aware of your pain, and your life. He is mindful of you always.

God uses mindfulness to help us stay present in Him. The prophets say, "The Lord hath been mindful of us: He will bless us (Psalm 115:12). And He does.  I have learned that I get to choose what I will focus on when difficult times hit our home and family (see 2 Nephi 2:27). I get to decide if I will focus on the pain or on the healing. They are both present, it's just a matter of what I want to give attention to, allowing the experiences to pass through me rather than gripping them and causing more pain.

One of my favorite passages of scripture is, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10; D&C 101:16). This has become a mantra I think as I breathe in, "Be still", and as I breathe out, "know ...I am God". I symbolically breathe in the calm and peace I need, and then I breathe out the trust and faith that is exercised. I invite you to give it a try- be still. Notice what IS, and enjoy the present moment.

God is present. "...There is no God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I know them all." (Moses 1:6). Be still. Learn of Him, and you shall have peace (see D&C 19:23).

Breathe in..."Be Still."

Breathe out... "...know...I am God".