“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” – Simone Weil

"Attention is the most basic form of love. Through it, we bless and are blessed." —John Tarrant
 
Christmas is God demonstrating, lovingly, his full attention – toward you.

God sees you, and he shows up in the Incarnation in a way we really can’t get our minds around as human beings. It is so important to God for you to know that you’re not alone that he put on human flesh as God-come-to-earth to prove it. He is close to you. He sees you. He loves you and will never leave you.

God’s full attention toward you is a channel of blessing and healing. No matter how dark things are right now, God is with you and everything is going to work out. You’re okay.

It’s been said that attention, in and of itself, is healing. Your divine creator is not distracted or absent. His attention is fully yours, and he is here with healing.

Christmas gives opportunity to pause in this glorious light of God’s attention, just like the shepherds aglow in angelic light – seen, sought out, sung over, inspired. You’re invited to return his gaze and savor his nearness as a fellow human, born and enfleshed just like us, "acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3) just as you are, acquainted with both your grief and his own.

Christmas also invites us to give generously of our attention to others. The gifts and cards, the shared meals, the parties and visits, the worship services - it's all about paying attention to one another with love. And the more full our schedule is with attending to others, the more crucial it is that we also take time to pay attention to ourselves in the way God pays attention to us, with love and grace.
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Attention is love. Receive it…give it…savor it. God sees you and is with you. Merry Christmas!

​“By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies.” (Is. 30:15)

Modern life induces frenetic activity, and that can be especially true during the Christmas season. There is often SO much to do in seemingly so little time.

No matter how worthwhile our activity, it helps to “keep the main thing the main thing.” Waiting…calm…quiet…trust… These are the main things – signals that we are attuned to God’s saving presence. And waiting (not shopping or decorating) is the signature of the Advent season. Waiting in calm, quiet trust.

What is available for us when we wait in the quiet? The potential of experiencing Christ in the soul and through the senses. Anything that gets in the way of that intimacy with Christ, even productive busyness, robs us of what matters most.

“Drive far from me all…that hinders me from beholding you; from hearing you and delighting in you; from perceiving your fragrance; from touching, fearing, and ever remembering you;…from abiding in your presence and beginning to find delight in you…. It would be enough for me to have the words of Jesus Christ my Lord abiding in me and that I should perceive them with all my senses.” – St. Peter Faber (1546)

Here is where mindfulness practice can help us out as Christians. Paying attention to the present moment, perceiving sensory input, and being curious about whatever comes up – this creates the quiet space for us to practice abiding in God as he abides in us.

If you would like to work some quiet, faith-based mindfulness practice into your Advent season, you can find guided meditations recorded by me on the following platforms:

• YouTube.com/TheMindfulChristian
• SoundCloud.com/TheMindfulChristian
• InsightTimer.com/MindfulXian

 
Links to guides by other facilitators can be explored here.
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Wishing you a quiet, calm, and trusting Advent season. May your patient waiting strengthen you as you connect with the joyful truth of God’s salvation!