What does it mean to be mindful?
Now here’s a saying you don’t hear too often anymore … “Be mindful of what you do”. My Grandmother use to always use the word “mindful”, as a little girl I really couldn’t understand why it was so important to have our minds so “full”, especially when all I wanted to do was go outside and play with my friends.
Of course, now that I am grown, I fully understand what lesson she was trying to teach. Mindful is just another word for “to consider” and my dear Grandmother was trying to instill in us Grandkids to “consider” one another. Not only in how we acted but how we spoke to one another. Because the words that we spoke and the deeds that we did to one another would long be remembered.
In scripture, there is a similar passage that reminds me of this same teaching…
“For He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant.” -Luke 1:48a (NIV)
To say that God is mindful of us means that He notices everything about our life. No one cares more about us and our life choices than God. I know it is hard to imagine but He even cares more about our life than we do or anyone else around us. We can be “mindful” of others too, but in our flesh, often times we fall back on our selfish thinking… “What is in it for me?” God never has an agenda except to love us completely and unconditionally. You see, He loves us even when we don’t return His love. He loves even that one that we deem unlovable.
1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give God all your worries and all your cares for He is always thinking about you, watching everything that concerns you.” What a wonderful thing to know, that there is someone who really cares about the things that we care about. Mary saw this very thing, thus why she could say yes to God’s plan for her life because she knew that God was looking out for her and was always being “mindful” of her. (*Luke 1:48a)
To say that God is mindful of us means that He notices everything in our life. That’s right ….even the bad and ugly stuff. But despite that, He still loves us and is concerned about us and wants to bring fullness to our life.
May today be the day that you become mindful that God is mindful over you!
PRAYER: Father, help me to be mindful of the things I say and do, Help me to seek Your path and direction for my life as I know that You are watching over me and caring for me in ways I cannot even imagine. Thank you for being mindful of me, even when I don’t see it. In return, help me to be mindful of the choices I make, may all of my choices lead me to You! AMEN
You are right, we ought to be mindful of the people around us. We should also be mindful of the things we say; we should build up and not tear down.
so true.