Restful Awareness

As human beings we all live in a world that has fallen. This is not a perfect place and we are very active at finding things to be scared about. Think about it, as soon as Adam and Eve ate the fruit they became scared. They covered themselves up because they were scared to be naked and they hid from God (or thought they were). We still do this today. We all spend time scanning our world for dangerous and scary things. There is a place in our brain called the amygdala. This part of the brain controls:
Arousal
Controls Autonomic Responses Associated with Fear
Emotional Responses
Hormonal Secretion
Why is this so important? This is important because this is the most basic of brain functions - the flight or fight response. It is the first thing that happens to us when things are going bad in a relationship or in our life. We decide that it is fearful and we decide to withdraw or attack. It is so easy to act this way when we are seperated from God. We have an automatic response in us to react in fear when we percieve things as scary. God has given us a way to not let fear be our automatic response and make peace and joy our response.

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7

We need to pray all the time. I like the words restful awareness. Prayer is restful awareness. Allowing our brain to have the flight or fight response is not awareness, it is reaction. This takes practice, a daily time of shutting left hemisphere of the brain off, and allowing silence to take control. In the silence we can be aware of our responses, see the reality that we are secure in God, and know God's love. This is something that was lost at the fall. Christ came so connection could be made again and we could know God's love directly. It has been said that the only voice of God is silence. This kind of silence can make us more restful, more peaceful, less reactive to the fear response, and more aware that we are safe in the hands of God with nothing to fear - no matter what the circumstances of life would like to tell us. Here is a link to an article about the benefits of prayer and meditation - http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20030424-000003.html

Yes, we have to connect ourselves back to God. We have to train our brains, through prayer, silence, meditation on God's word to not fear. This is the process of what some would call sanctification, becoming holy. This is the process of accepting God's love and taking on the mind of Christ. This is the benefit of prayer and restful awareness - we connect to the reality of God directly in our lives. Jesus told us that "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:21)" David wrote "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. (Psalm 119:97).

So today practice some restful awareness. Pray, meditate, find a place of silence. Yes pray to God and give your request, but also allow silence to be your friend and quiet your mind. God comes to the quiet mind.

Namaste'