Being Mindful
Last night I set out to bake two loaves of Lemon Poppy Seed Bread for a church meeting. Because I bake often, I decided to multi-task and call a friend and chat while baking. I rushed through the prep of the breads, popped them in the oven, and an hour later they were burned. I can't remember the last time I burned soemthing in the oven... but by not being mindful I had failed at one of the few things that I'm actually good at. And you know what, the bread didn't taste that great -- there was no soul. I could taste that I hadn't paid attention.
How many aspects of our lives suffer because we aren't mindful? Does your mind wander during church services? Are you deeply engaged during your daily devotionals? Do the meals you cook for your family deserve a bit more attention?
Our society pushes us to multi-task and get every "chore" done quickly so we can relax and turn our minds off while we watch TV, listen to music, read a novel or surf the Web. But what if we turned our minds on and focused on the really important things in life? Maybe those things wouldn't seem like chores any more. Perhaps we could find the beauty in preparing dinner, the grace in spending time in conversation with loved ones, and the inherent value of time with God.
Today I will choose to be mindful. Will you?
posted by Jill @ 6:58 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Ahhh mindfulness...an easier thought than an actual realization!
In my Byzantine tradition our homes and especially our kitchens are seen as the "domestic church". This is the place where God meets us daily.
We as wives and mothers are God's hands and hearts here or as I like to think about it "God's most ancient yet most modern kitchen tools"! :-)
When I enter my kitchen I remember to stop and say this prayer "May my hands and heart work as one to bring God's bounty to those who hunger.". I also whisper a pray of remembrance for all the wives and mothers who have gone before us, those that stand cooking today just as I am and those who are yet to come.
If my day has been crazy stressful I spend some time with my prayer beads in front of my Icon called "Mother of the Harvest". It shows Mary above a field of wheat that is in the process of being harvested...her focus is on the wheat that has been "missed/forgotten" by the reapers. This reminds me that God needs "mindful" hands and hearts to collect those that were too weak to stand exactly as the reaper's one size fits all collection arms require. It then reminds me that God will leave an entire flock of sheep to find that one small lost lamb. :-) This is also the Icon of "bounty and blessings".
All I know is that it works! Of all the things I cook well (and there are many) I am always asked to bring a salad to every community gathering. Everyone raves that I make the best salads and want to know what my secret is. When I tell them there is no "secret"...I just take time with each vegetable from purchase to bowl and that I spend time thinking about each known and unknown person it will be feeding...they then very quickly ask what kind of dressing I use...that must be the reason...
Deborah
I love this post, I need to be more mindful!
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