Deliberate Thoughts

Deliberate Thoughts

[Jesus said,] “The hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.”

Matthew 13:15

Temptation comes in many different forms. I’m convinced that given the right situation and the wrong attitude, we are capable of any number of sins. And if someone were to ask, “What’s your temptation?” we wouldn’t have to think very long before answering. Often, though, we prefer to rationalize:

• The gambler thinks the next bet will make up for all of her previous losses.
• The alcoholic says he can “hold his liquor” or can stop whenever he wants to.
• The addict viewing Internet porn tells himself that at least he’s not visiting prostitutes.
• The gossip whispers about her neighbors and says she’s offering warnings or sharing “prayer requests.”
• The shoplifter convinces herself the item she took was overpriced anyway.
• The secretary pockets office supplies to balance her low salary.
• The taxpayer cheats the government and says everybody does it.
• The event planner ridicules fresh ideas because it’s “never been done that way.”
• The traveler watches X-rated movies in the hotel room because no one knows.

The list goes on and on. What if we stopped trying to rationalize our sins? What if our first prayer of the morning began, “Lord, this day is yours. I am yours. Help me to live in the light of that truth.” What if we actually lived what we say we believe? What a difference that would make in this sad world—and in our own lives.

—SANDRA

Lord, why do I make living the Christian life so difficult? If I thought about my actions and my words instead of giving in to impulses, life would be calmer. So, help me to think before I act. Help me to bite my tongue instead of mouthing off. And may I invite you into every situation.

Every thought we think, in every hour we live, must be not necessarily about Christ, but it must be the thought Christ would think were He placed in our circumstances and subject to our conditions. This is what it means really to feed on Him and be nourished by the true Bread of Life that cometh down from heaven.

—HANNAH WHITALL SMITH (1832–1911), QUAKER LAY SPEAKER AND AUTHOR