As we consider mindfulness from a Christian perspective, there is one significant scripture to consider. Paul tells us we have the mind of Christ in his letter to the church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 2:16
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.“
If we have the mind of Christ, we next have to ask, what does that mean? What habits did He exhibit that we can choose to emulate?
Consider Christ’s reaction to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3–11). More than once during the exchange with those who were preparing to stone the woman, Jesus bent down and drew in the dirt. That tells me He took time with His answers.
Jesus was intentional whenever He spoke.
Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7 that he (and we) have power, love, and a self-disciplined mind.
The NASB 1995 translation of that verse is
“ For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.“
The New King James Version translates discipline as a sound mind.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.“
A spirit of discipline includes a sound mind, or I would suggest, the mind of Christ.
Paul further tells us what the mind of Christ dwells on when He writes to the church in Philippi.
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.“
You have a choice what you allow your mind to dwell on.
In conclusion, I believe that we can conclude that Jesus modeled response rather than reaction.
Paul tells us that we have the power, love, and discipline to follow Christ’s example.
Finally, Paul gives us a path to develop a way of thinking like Jesus. Dwell on truth, honor, righteousness, purity, love, excellence, and so much more.
How do you think like Jesus? The first step is to become mindful of your thoughts. Then train your mind to operate with the mind of Christ.