From the book “The Power of Stillness:”
It′s understandable why the idea of eternal progression can seem in contradiction with the core of mindfulness—as if our attention to future possibilities requires an unwillingness to embrace the present moment while we always aspire for something better.
It′s also true that a constant sense of not being enough, not doing enough, and always having to do more can feel like being stuck on an endless hamster wheel. That can be truly draining and exhausting for any of us.
If there are so many benefits from embracing things as they are, then should we maybe not fuss so much about looking into how things could be any different? That′s where many seem to end up. But they don´t have to—because our aspirations towards heavenly things simply don´t require us to be constantly, naggingly dissatisfied with the present moment. We can get away from a pressure-filled, stressed out, self-loathing approach to growth and progress without abandoning the idea of progress and growth altogether.
Growth is an inescapable part of mindfulness practice. And there is nothing that says the pursuit of profound change on the pathway of eternal progression cannot also be experienced as compassionate, spacious, grace-filled, and shot through with love . . . in another word mindful. We believe that is just as Christ would intend it.
What people sometimes miss is that there are very different ways to approach growth and progress. If that is true, maybe we need to get clearer on what those differences are. For instance, is our desire for change fueled by a mind-set of self-loathing, people pleasing, and frantic pressure, or by the love and grace of God? ~Jacob Z. Hess, Carrie L. Skarda, Kyle C. Anderson, Ty R. Mansfield, The Power of Stillness (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2019) 123-24
