Question: How can I improve my thoughts?
Read:
D&C 6:16
“Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart.”
Alma 37:35-37
35 “O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.
36 “Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
37 “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.”
D&C 121:45-46
45 “Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
46 “The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.”
Ponder: Do I really want to keep all idle, unclean or negative thoughts out of my mind? What would Jesus think about?
I think it’s difficult, actually impossible, to stay focused in thought 24/7. Even our dreams sometimes betray us. That’s probably the biggest argument for avoiding media (movies, books, photos, music, etc.) that will put into our brain any image or thought we don’t want to have there. Those unwanted images have a tendency to pop up in the most random, crazy situations. I try to stay focused. I try to keep my thoughts good. But I do have my moments …
I do find that the closer I am to the Lord, the less my thoughts are about the negative and the more they are about the positive. I find myself thinking more about ideas and spiritual concepts, and less about things.
Thought processes fall into several different categories – all can be good and all can be bad.
- The first thinking we do would fall into the category of goal setting or planning – we all need to find time for this each day I think. It helps me to write my goals down.
- Another kind of thinking we do is pondering – we ponder and meditate when we study the scriptures. We ponder when we consider important matters requiring us to make decisions. I think pondering is a deliberate thing.
- Wander mode, on the other hand, is when our minds just float off into never-never land. This is dream mode, whether awake or asleep. This is the time when our thoughts become idle thoughts, when unwanted images pop up. It can also be productive time – not all wandering thoughts are bad. It’s in my ‘wander’ mode that I can create imaginary stories to write about. This is the right brain, or creative mode of our brain and we don’t want to shut it off, ever. Just control it better.
- Practical thoughts, on the other hand, come streaming in from our left brain. This is where our controlling thoughts come from. Practical thoughts help us stay on task. They help us perform daily routines and keep us organized. Practical thoughts, too, have a downside. It’s in our practical thought mode that we start to compare ourselves to others, which has the danger of encouraging gossip and loss of self-worth.
I’m sure you can think of other thought processes as well.
What would Jesus think about? I think all of those things. He was, after all, human as well as a God. The difference is that I think He controlled His thoughts. He focused on the things that really mattered – serving, lifting, teaching, caring, blessing, bringing the people the peace that comes through him.
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