Keep a Good Thought
Gomer’s urging to positivity, “Keep a good thought,” was indicative of the whole Mayberry clan. The saying was deep-seated in their collective consciousness.
Interesting to me that the things we repeat become parts of who we are. The Bible tells us that we become what we believe. I’ve seen this truth in a thousand guises.
The things we ruminate and rehearse become self-fulfilling prophecies apart from intents or fears. Though it is not invariably true that optimism wins out, positive thinking is impactful on outcomes.
Much ado has been made of the thought life. As all truth is God’s truth, this understanding was not the revelation of mental health professionals. It is in the Word of God.
When the Apostle Paul encouraged us to think on pure things, he was speaking of far more than what we normally consider morally ethical behavior. We dare not make this exhortation only apply to carnal knowledge and the like (which is a temptation of the concerned) as a clean thought life is not tainted by impurities of any order. It focuses on the positive and potential rather than the negative and, well, normal.
It’s just so much easier to think of hardships than health. Many people consider themselves to be realists when in truth they are problem-centered thinkers. It takes all kinds to reach valid conclusions, but I can tell you that I would rather associate with uppers than downers.
It’s hard to be effective in any endeavor with a negative mindset. My high school track coach wrote in my yearbook, “Life is like a hurdle- to get to the top you have to approach it right.”
The Bible is replete with examples of people who gained strength through self-talk and not all of them were spiritually-motivated. The Philistines rallied around the cry, “Quit you like men!” and defeated the people of God in a critical battle. In his encouragement to pure thinking, Paul seemed to say we are to search for the positive and praiseworthy. There are manifold reasons to be down-hearted, but, if we can find a good perspective, we are to dwell on it rather than be obsessed with the undeniable difficulties of our endeavors.
Chuck Swindoll said that the one string we have to play on in life is our attitude. Though we are not able to control all eventualities, we must admit that we have more control over our own emotions than any other entity. If you can think of a reason to be upbeat, allow it to be your preoccupation.
It’s easy to give in to the temptation to consider obstacles instead of opportunities. The Great Apostle would have none of that. He saw effective ministry beyond enumerable mountains. He chose the path of purpose rather than the road of ruin. Gains require efforts; losses occur of themselves.
It is surely not easy to train our thought lives, but we must begin somewhere if we are to experience peace of mind.
I have often said that, in the church, any effort can succeed and any effort can fail. Everything depends on approach and involvement. This is probably pretty much true in any arena. A “can-do” attitude is necessary to the building of any edifice.
No great work is accomplished by discouraged and defeated laborers. I cannot change the times or the seasons, but I can work on my desires and determinations.
David encouraged himself. We often blame our dispositions on other peoples’ positions. If we take responsibility for ourselves, however, determining to focus on the good rather than the bad, we will lighten our own hearts to some degree. For the rest, there is another Comforter.
Sterl