Our minds are amazing things. It is sometimes unfathomable the amounts of information it can hold and store. It also just as amazing the amount of things we seem to forget, just when we need them most. While our intelligences are very individualized so are our thoughts and their capacity for good or evil can determine a lot about the paths our life can take.
I love the purity and simplicity of the thinking of a little child. The world is basically a good, beautiful place to learn and enjoy. Unfortunately, as we grow older we are introduced to more and more aspects of the world that aren’t quite as beautiful and innocent. We can become very troubled and burdened down with worldly cares. Our thoughts can become cluttered with things that keep us from the purity and goodness of the Savior’s gospel.
How can we guard against thoughts and feelings that the Lord feels contaminates our ability to be close to Him, to understand His nature, to act as His disciples in a world filled with darkness? Our thoughts can either lead us to do good or do evil. We are very rarely guilty of sin when it first hasn’t been considered and contemplated, allowed to dwell in our thoughts. Likewise, we are very rarely engaged in acts of goodness, of kindness, of service, if we have not considered and pondered these things.
James Allen once wrote:
“As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called ‘spontaneous’ and ‘unpremeditated’ as to those which are deliberately executed. …
In the armoury of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. … Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master. … Man is the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny … Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life. Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance. ” (As a Man Thinketh [1983])
It can be done, but as with many things an ounce of prevention is proven the best medicine.
The leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have provided specific guidelines to help its members keep their thoughts pure and centered on Jesus Christ. Among these are warnings against the types of media we fill our leisure time with. We are asked to reject music, books, magazines, computer programs, games, movies and television shows, that portray or glorify violence, pornography, a general disregard for morals or any thing else that compromises the ability of the Holy Spirit to be our companion, guide and protector against evil.
In its place we are encouraged to seek out the beautiful and uplifting things of the world. (Articles of Faith 1:13) I have seen the effects of this counsel play out in my own life. As a young family we had some choices to make about the kinds of influences we would let our children indulge in. We saw the problems we were beginning to encounter even when our children were very small. We made drastic choices according to the world’s standards in order to maximize our influence for good on our children and minimize the world’s influence for evil. We allowed nothing in our home that we wouldn’t be comfortable with our young children seeing or hearing. For the years that we were able to hold to this standard of accountability the overall nature of our family unit changed for the good. We enjoyed each other more, we were kinder, more considerate, we all had a greater regard for human life and values. Sadly, our human frailties eventually got the better of us as the years passed and many things have managed to creep in that should never found their way into our hearts, homes and minds. Many of those things hang on for dear life long after the incident has passed.
When this happens, when we find ourselves thinking thoughts that darken our spirit, our next defense is the same as Joseph (Genesis 39:12) of the Old Testament. We must turn and run leaving evil behind us. We must develop a plan of defense to re-center our thoughts and feelings on that which is good and uplifting. No man can serve two masters; our minds are the same. It can only dwell on what we allow it to. Choose a song, scripture, poem, math equation, and physical movement, whatever ever works for you individual to leave temptation behind you.
As a man thinketh so is he, and charity thinketh no evil.
