I THINK, therefore I am, said enlightenment
thinker René Descartes. In at least one sense that’s profoundly true. Our
unconscious thoughts and our unguarded conscious thinking are attributable for
the mental maladies we possess, rippling out into our feeling states that can send
our emotional wellbeing into a world of turmoil.
Proverbs 4:23 says we ought to
guard our hearts, for it’s from there that our lives spring.
Everything we are, all we do, and
everything we become seems to stem from our thinking. It is the absolute source
of who we are. Our thinking drives
our feelings. A circular pattern develops.
Some of the dangerous patterns of
thought we enter into include; either/or
thinking (if one is right, the other must be wrong); destructive thinking (“I’m useless, no-good, idiotic, worthless,
helpless…”); narcissistic thinking (“I’m
too good, look at me, and worth more than anyone…”); and, conspiracy thinking (“I don’t trust anyone…”)
Thinking is powerful because it
leads us to take actions in accordance with how we feel. There are dangers in
acting out of thoughts that are untrue. The fact is we’re bombarded by
unhelpful thoughts all the time. Thinking is only an ally for us where it leads
us to act according to the truth.
A good response to dangerous
thought patterns is become aware of them, and then, with intent, decide to
change our minds, or to literally repent, or turn from that thinking.
So, the AA plan kicks in. First, we must become aware of our thoughts, auditing them to determine if they’re
destructive or not. Second, we can then choose to act on our awareness to conform not to the patterns of
worldly thinking, but to renew our minds.
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