A change of thought

HOW we think affects every aspect of our lives, though we may not realize it. Clearly, then, it's important that our thoughts be of the kind that promotes our well-being. The Apostle Paul urges us to think on ``whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report.''1 And Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes, ``Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts.''2

So what are we thinking? Can we, today, change our thought in such a way as to alter our lives for the better? Indeed we can.

But to be genuinely successful requires much more than simply trying to think positively instead of negatively--to think good thoughts instead of bad ones. There is a need to realize that our true thoughts are good and bring harmony because our true selfhood is the very image of God, as we can learn from the Bible.

Our selfhood is the likeness of the one divine Mind, and the thoughts derived from Mind can only bring good. Feel ings of fear, apathy, selfishness, self-will, self-justification, impatience, frustration, guilt, and so on are no part of real being. This is a spiritual fact, a fact that we can increasingly understand and prove through prayer to God, through an acknowledgment of His all-power and a sincere desire to allow only His pure thoughts to govern our actions. In support of this effort it's important that we strive to eliminate from our consciousness what is not in accord with the goodness of God.

Mrs. Eddy states: ``When mortal man blends his thoughts of existence with the spiritual and works only as God works, he will no longer grope in the dark and cling to earth because he has not tasted heaven. Carnal beliefs defraud us. They make man an involuntary hypocrite,--producing evil when he would create good, forming deformity when he would outline grace and beauty, injuring those whom he would bless.''3

We may well feel content with our present way of thinking. After all, we are familiar with it. We may say, ``Yes, there are awkward times, but good times also, and I can deal with these fluctuations and live with them. For years I have thought about and done things in a certain way and have been reasonably pleased with the results.'' Yet it's only when we begin to understand more of what we really are as the children of God that we become aware how our thinking and actions can be improved. Then what we have been used to doing doesn't appear to be as satisfactory as before. As we gain a sense of our actual, spiritual existence, the demand for Godlike thinking becomes more apparent. So do the blessings that accompany it.

At the pool of Bethesda, Christ Jesus healed a man who had been crippled for thirty-eight years. The Bible relates, ``Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.''4 This account clearly points to the relationship between the state of our thought and the condition of our lives.

Before the healing, Jesus had asked the man, ``Wilt thou be made whole?''5 Are we prepared to be made whole, to cultivate a more spiritual outlook through even greater purity of thought, through increased love and humility? It could prove to be so worthwhile.

1Philippians 4:8. 2Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 261. 3Ibid., p. 263. 4John 5:14. 5John 5:6. You can find more articles like this one in the Christian Science Sentinel, a weekly magazine. DAILY BIBLE VERSE Be no conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2