7 Mindful Steps to Take in Your Walk with Christ – Part 2
- Brainz Magazine
- 6 days ago
- 9 min read
Bethany Donovan is an experienced psychotherapist, licensed in both Virginia and Washington state, specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders, trauma, and complex PTSD, as well as working with military members, veterans, and their families.
In Part 1, we explored the first four mindful steps to deepen your walk with Christ. In this continuation, we move into the final steps, worshiping intentionally, practicing daily surrender, and treating others as if they were Jesus Himself. Each practice invites you to live with greater awareness, presence, and love, transforming everyday moments into sacred encounters with God.
5. Worship intentionally
Speaking of worship, how many times have you been in church and spaced out during the musical worship portion of the service? How many times has it been “just another song” for you? Do you often find yourself singing a worship song and instead of pondering the meaning of the lyrics, you’re mentally checking out and reviewing your to-do list, thinking about a conversation you had earlier, or planning your post-church brunch spot?
Done mindfully, worship can be a deeply intimate time of surrender to God and soaking in His presence. When we stay present for worship, ponder the meaning of the words, and really let their meaning sink into our very being, it becomes an altogether different experience. This is one of the ways that we can really “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Specifically, singing has been linked to improved well-being and beneficial shifts in stress physiology.[1]
Musical worship is an especially powerful way to go deep with the Lord because music has a way of circumventing our threat responses and calming the amygdala and related limbic structures that ruminate and get locked into anxiety.[2] Music also activates multiple brain areas at once, including the auditory cortex, motor cortex, prefrontal regions, and reward circuitry such as the ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex. This creates more integrated, less compartmentalized brain function.[3] [4] The experience is one in which your mind is spacious, open, and available to God, which makes music particularly powerful in terms of moving us out of mental spaces like fear, worry, and despair and moving us into states of resolve, gratitude, and peace. Worshipping with others has added benefits as it increases social bonding and feelings of unity and belonging through the coordinated release of endorphins and oxytocin,[5] [6] and congregational singing itself is associated with improved mood and stress markers.[1]
So the next time you’re in church, come early to take part in the entire musical worship portion of the service and try to bring yourself fully into the present moment. When you notice your mind wandering, catch it and bring it back to the moment. Do it as often as you need to, and, eventually, with practice, you will become increasingly capable of staying in the moment for longer periods.
The good news is that for many people, a few moments of intentional attention are enough to sweep us up into the moment where we no longer need to intentionally focus as we enter a positive dissociative state often referred to as “flow.”
Give it a try and notice how you feel before and after the worship. I also encourage you to give it a try at home by yourself, especially if you’re struggling emotionally. Put on some worship music that directly speaks to the struggle you find yourself in and pour your heart out to God through song. Many find this to be highly effective in providing hope and calming anxiety. As the worship song “That’s the Thing About Praise” by Benjamin William Hastings & Blessing Offor puts it, praise won’t always change our circumstances or solve our problems, but “it’s good for the heart”.[7]
Now that we’ve talked about worshiping intentionally, let’s discuss another practice that often requires both intentionality and inner fortitude, surrender.
6. Daily surrender
As a therapist, one of the struggles I see most often, especially in trauma survivors, is the need to control every aspect of life. This rarely comes from being a “control freak.” More often, it stems from trauma-induced fear. For many, having a sense of control provides a feeling of safety within a nervous system that otherwise feels under threat most of the time.[8] [9] The subconscious belief often sounds like, “If I can predict every threat and control every circumstance, I can prevent terrible things from happening to me and the people I care about.” Of course, that is not true because much of life is beyond our control. This is where faith becomes especially important.
It can be tricky to discern what our responsibility is and what we should surrender to Jesus. We might ask, “What is my part and what is God’s? Surely, He doesn’t want me to be a lump on a log doing nothing.” True. Scripture is full of wisdom warning against laziness, especially in Proverbs. But surrender is not laziness, it is trust.
Learning to surrender is an ongoing process, much like sanctification. There are things God asks us to take responsibility for, such as loving our neighbor, serving the poor, working diligently, and caring for our health and families. There are also things we simply cannot control, such as others’ choices, how people perceive us, or unforeseen events. When something falls into the latter category, it is the perfect opportunity to “let go and let God,” as the saying goes.
Mindfulness plays a key role here. First, it helps us recognize when we are trying to control what we cannot control. Second, it reminds us to intentionally release those things to God in prayer. I encourage you to do this daily, preferably in the morning, and again at night if needed.
When we face situations that feel out of control, we can remind ourselves of what God’s Word says about His sovereignty and trustworthiness. “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21). “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9). Jeremiah acknowledged, “I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course” (Jeremiah 10:23). And Jesus comforted us with these words, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. So don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29 to 31).
Surrender might be one of the most challenging practices on this list, but it gets easier with time. If we ask Jesus to take the wheel but keep our hands on it, we only create detours, delays, and exhaustion for ourselves. Try it for a week. Each morning, consciously hand Him what you cannot control and notice how your mind and body respond when you truly let Him drive.
Jesus invites us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Taking His yoke upon us means letting Him carry the greater weight. It is a profound relief when we finally drop what we were never meant to carry and place it in His capable hands.
When we practice surrender daily, our hearts become softer, our reactions gentler, and our compassion deeper. As we trust God to handle the things we cannot, we are freed to focus on what we can, including loving others well. This naturally leads us to the final mindful step, treating others as if they were Jesus Himself.
7. Treat others as if they were Jesus Himself
This one is simple, it is exactly what the step title suggests. The inspiration for this practice comes from the following Scripture:
(34) Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (35) For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, (36) I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.”
(37) Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? (38) When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? (39) When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?”
(40) And the King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:34 to 40)
As you walk through your day, interact with the people you encounter with the same respect, kindness, and love you would show to the Lord Himself, and watch how it transforms your experience. Challenge yourself to take up His command to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34). Not only will this take intentional effort, increasing your capacity for mindful living and sober-mindedness, but it will transform how you feel about yourself and others. It will also add credibility to your witness as a follower of Christ as you share His love with the world, truly living as “salt and light” (Matthew 5:13 to 14).
Bonus mindful step: WWJD?
As you may have guessed by the title of this final step, yes, I was a 90s kid. I remember when these bracelets were all the rage. Perhaps you remember them. They came in many forms, but those I remember the most vividly were the colorful silicone bands with the letters “WWJD?” printed on them. In case you are not aware, “WWJD?” stood for “What would Jesus do?”
These bracelets were a real-life example of a mindfulness cue. The hope was that they would serve as a reminder to try to act, walk, talk, and choose like Jesus every time we caught a glimpse of it. Did they work? Only as much as the person puts in a conscious effort, I suppose. Unfortunately, the bracelet couldn’t do the work for us. Fortunately, you can choose to put in the conscious effort to be more like Jesus each day.
Practically, this might look like committing to a challenge wherein you work to act like Jesus as often as possible throughout the day for a set period, such as a week, two weeks, or a month. Start small and work your way up. You’ve got your whole life to practice, and, frankly, that’s what we are called to do.
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Each of these mindful steps, including this final reminder to live as Jesus would, draws us closer to His heart and shapes us into His likeness. As we practice them with intention, we begin to notice that mindfulness and discipleship are not separate pursuits at all. Rather, they are one and the same, walking daily with Christ in awareness, discipline, love, and obedience.
Conclusion
A mindful walk with Christ is not about adding more to your to-do list. It is about choosing presence with Him in the ordinary moments of your day. Name what you feel and bring it to God and a trusted other. Sit with Scripture through Lectio Divina. Be still and listen for His voice. Step outside and let creation draw your attention back to His nearness. Worship with intention so your mind grows spacious and open to God. Practice daily surrender so you release what you cannot control and take faithful responsibility for what you can. Then move into the world and treat every person as if you were meeting Jesus Himself. These small, repeatable choices form a holy rhythm that lowers hurry, steadies the heart, and strengthens your witness as salt and light.
As the Scriptures say, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). So, start where you are with what you have, and give the effort you can. The Lord who made Sabbath for your good will meet you as you slow down, pay attention, and say yes to Him in each step.
Read more from Bethany Nicole Donovan
Bethany Nicole Donovan, Licensed Psychotherapist
Bethany Donovan is a licensed psychotherapist in Virginia and Washington state. She is a veteran of the United States Air Force and Operation Enduring Freedom, serving for one deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Bethany is a certified clinical trauma professional (CCTP) and is extensively trained in treating complex PTSD through EMDR and other trauma-informed therapy interventions. She has many years of experience working with the underprivileged and underserved populations, such as the incarcerated and homeless, as well as military members, veterans, and their families. Bethany has a passion for helping people heal from their past wounds so that they can go from surviving to thriving in life and build a life that they feel is worth living.
References:
[1] Grape, C., Sandgren, M., Hansson, L. O., Ericson, M., & Theorell, T. (2003). Does singing promote well-being? Integrative Physiological and Behavioral Science, 38(1), 65-74.
[2] Koelsch, S. (2014). Brain correlates of music-evoked emotions. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 15(3), 170-180.
[3] Menon, V., & Levitin, D. J. (2005). The rewards of music listening: Response and physiological connectivity of the mesolimbic system. NeuroImage, 28(1), 175-184.
[4] Zatorre, R. J., Chen, J. L., & Penhune, V. B. (2007). When the brain plays music: Auditory-motor interactions in music perception and production. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8(7), 547-558.
[5] Vickhoff, B., et al. (2013). Music structure determines heart rate variability of singers. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 334.
[6] Dunbar, R. I. M., Kaskatis, K., MacDonald, I., & Barra, V. (2012). Performance of music elevates pain threshold and positive affect: Implications for the evolutionary function of music. Evolutionary Psychology, 10(4), 688-702.
[7] Hastings, B. W., & Offor, B. (2022). That’s the thing about praise [Song]. On Benjamin William Hastings [Album]. Sparrow Records.
[8] van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.
[9] Siegel, D. J. (2012). The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
