mindfulness

i have been struggling a lot lately with different things and i couldn't figure out why life was seeming so hard.  i am a member of a team on etsy and i read a post on the team forum the other day that started me thinking about my life and why i may be feeling the way i am. i posted about it on the forum and there was a response from a very wise woman about living mindfully and that made me think even more.  mindfulness -  the idea of enjoying each moment for what it is and not dwelling or anticipating - sometimes seems to me like this elusive state that i will never attain.
 
one of my favorite bible characters is elijah. he was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated and alone.   instead of seeing all that god had provided for him to keep him safe and sound, he saw the past with its fears and failures and the future with its fears and uncertainty.  so god told elijah to stand on the mountain and wait for him to pass by.  so elijah waited and there was a huge wind, but god wasn't in the wind. then there was an earthquake, but god wasn't in the earthquake. then there was a fire, but god wasn't in the fire. after the fire, there was a gentle whisper. and there was god.

god had to show elijah that he needed to stop dwelling on the past and worrying about the future and just be in god's presence.  he needed to ignore all the winds, earthquakes and fires and listen for the whisper.  i think sometimes i am just like elijah.  i am so busy focusing on the winds, earthquakes and fires in my life that i miss the gentle whispers. and when i miss the gentle whisper, when i forget to be mindful and focused on the present and his presence, the past and the future overwhelm me with their failures, fears and uncertainty.

how many of us take time to just be? do we ever make time to be quiet, breathe and listen to the gentle whisper of the lord? i wonder if the first step to mindfulness is to escape from the busyness and noise for a few minutes each day and just be still - be still and know that he is god and he is waiting for us to enjoy his presence in the present.