Our brains are amazing machines that never stop working, thoughts come and go, we constantly process what we see, hear, feel and experience. Perhaps most of us have difficulty turning off this machine of thoughts and just be attentive to our inner voice, inspirations and truths about ourselves and about others.
Thoughts aren’t just personal, nor are they simply neutral; what we think shapes how we relate to ourselves, God and the world and that can have a universal impact. We have a wealth of history to illustrate these thoughts that impacted the world. Nazism bluntly denied inherent human dignity and viewed individuals exclusively through lens of usefulness to the state. Communist regimes and Marxism declare that only work grants meaning to the human person reducing worth to material value alone. Liberalism dictates that meaning lies in the unimpeded freedom to do anything, anytime, without limit and that treating another person as a means to an end is totally justifiable. These ideologies resulted in widespread wars, destruction and death.
On the other hand Christianity offers an entirely other narrative that confronts, with clarity and truth, the distorted understanding of what it means to be human. The thoughts of people who upheld the dignity of every human person, like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. John Paul II and many others, let to a worldwide surge of hope and life. „Ideas have consequences“ said George Weigh, biographer of St. John Paul II. Our thoughts affect us, but they also affect others.
The way we live and the choices we make start on the inside, how we think. Untruthful thoughts cause a downcast vision of life. Unchecked, they can grow into a debilitating wight that can blur our vision of life and what matters. Even healthy guilt – the tugging of our conscience when we realize we did something wrong – can easily be twisted into a claim on our identity, suggesting thoughts like: „I’m wrong“; I don’t have what it takes“; I’m not enough“; I’m incapable of improvements“; „I’m bad“ and so on…. If we begin to believe the lies about ourselves, then we begin believing lies about others, and about the nature of life. But we don’t have to succumb to untruth. We have the power to look up.
We can decide what we want to think about and how we want to think about it. When these thoughts creep up we need to recognize it, difficult thoughts aren’t places to run from , but places we can invite Light into. Christianity presents a clear idea about how to think about ourselves. My friend Sr. Mary Grace, SV summed it up well: „that we are not objects to be used, but free persons made for love, in need of healing and redemption. Thinking of ourselves in truth is what allows us to live with joy and purpose. This is the secret of life with Christ: He can transform every setback into another starting point.“
To start again with thoughts that are true, good and beautiful is our choice. Dwelling on the good experiences changes us. Why not try to call to mind and talk about the one good thing that someone did for us? Spreading goodness and talking about true and good experiences actually makes us more joyful. Next time we realize we are starting to think about the our hurt, pain and negative thoughts let’s pause and stop before it becomes a steep downward spiral; instead let’s ask ourselves are my thoughts true, good and beautiful? If one of these aspects is missing let’s reevaluate and correct. It’s not always easy, but the conscious decision not wanting these negative thoughts is the most important step. Singing or humming a song of praise or a song that brings on positive thoughts could be a good reset moment. With practice you will soon find out your best way to get back to the positive thoughts that rally matter.
What do you believe? How do you think about your life? It matters, it can change the world.
