The Power Of Thought

16 Jul

“Your thoughts become things.”  ~ Rhonda Byrne

How can you turn someone against another person?  Plant doubt and suspicion into the person’s mind.  Propagandists do that all the time.  So do people who interrogate people.  So do those who brainwash others.  It begins with thought.

Why?  Because at some point in time, thought makes a magical mutation and leaves the realm of thought and enters the realm of reality.  We can become so suspicious of another person or a group of people and that thought, properly nourished, can turn into pure hatred.  All we have to do is feed the thought and then direct the thought.  I’m not making this stuff up.  It really is that easy.

Thought is just as powerful for us in our spiritual lives.  If we think that we are bad, unlovable people, than no amount of encouragement from others will have any effect.  We will reject the idea that we are good or lovable or forgivable and hate ourselves.  We will reject that idea from others and we will reject that idea from God.

If, on the other hand, we think that there is hope for us, that we are not all bad, and that we are lovable, we can allow others into our lives and allow God into our lives as well.  It all begins with thought.

The good Sisters had a certain handle on that when they taught their grade school students long ago.  They taught us that we needed to get rid of “bad thoughts”, anything that would tempt us or lead us to sin.  They knew that nurturing those thoughts would contribute to our developing bad habits.  Our thoughts, indeed, could become realities.

They also knew that if we fostered good thoughts, we would be kinder and more caring.  They knew that our good thoughts would translate into good actions.  We would volunteer to help others.  We would forgive instead of seeking revenge.

Somewhere along the way, the concept of good thought/bad thought seems to have been purged from society.  Nowadays, it’s everybody for himself or herself.  The world tells us that if we think it, go ahead and do it and don’t worry about the consequences because we deserve it.  That’s not the way to live.  Those thoughts could actually undermine us and lead to our ruin.

In order to foster and nurture good thoughts within, we need to begin with God.  Anything else will lead us astray.

FAITH ACTION:  Ask God for the grace that you need to keep Him uppermost in your thoughts this day.