Thread Response 1
0 Home.Literature. Help. Log in / Sign up Thread Response 1 TT24 Read-ChristianDevotionalMeditation.docx Home>Psychology homework help>Thread Response 1 Christian Devotional Meditation, Christ-Centered Present Moment Awareness, and Grace-Focused Meditation Fernando Garzon, Psy.D. Kristy Ford, Ph.D. Meditation is one of the most effective ways to relieve stress. Christian devotional meditation is distinctive from eastern forms of meditation in a variety of ways. First, instead of just focusing on “emptying” oneself from various thoughts and distractions, it also focuses on filling us with a deeper awareness of God through Scripture or meditation on His character. Unlike Eastern worldviews, the Christian worldview recognizes that God is immanent (always with us) and transcendent. Thus, we are not alone in our present moment experience. Christian devotional meditation helps us recognize His presence. Second, as Christians we do not approach “openness” or emptying ourselves of our worries in a naïve fashion. We are aware that we have an enemy, and that there are bad spiritual influences as well as good ones. Thus, we choose to be filled with God’s presence rather than just being open to any spiritual influence. We do this with an intentional focus on God’s character, Scripture, or Scripture-based themes. What to do The handouts below will help you practice Christian devotional meditation, Christ-centered present moment awareness, and Grace-Focused meditation. Choose one of the methods each day. Some people like to vary which method they choose each day, others find one method they like and stick with that, or others do a combination. Pick a good time for you to practice 10 minutes a day. Some clients like to do this as the first part of their time with God in the morning or evening. Others like to do it before going to bed. If you suffer from insomnia, you might try doing this when you lie down to sleep. It will help you drift off to sleep. In addition to practicing the exercise of your choice each day, I will share a quick “stress reliever” you can apply during the day when you feel stressed. Handout 1 Scriptural Truths Meditation (God’s Character Version) The purpose of Scriptural Truth Meditation focused on God’s character is to help us slow down and quietly reflect on a significant truth about who God is. You are not studying this truth in an overly analytical manner, but rather receiving the depth of the truth at the heart level. This can be very helpful when we feel anxious, hurried, stressed, or frustrated. Turn off the cell phone, computer, TV, radio, and all other media sources. Make yourself comfortable. Pray and ask the Lord to open your heart to receive His truth at a deeper level. 1. Choose a characteristic of God that is meaningful and comforting. Below are a few examples. You may add others as well. I will be glad to help you identify additional traits if you like. [Alternative for non-Christians: Choose a comforting phrase to meditate on, such as “Peace,” “Love,” “Joy,” etc.] Read More …