At around noon when I imagined the same people criticizing me for some of the things I have done or not done, I visualized responding to their criticism with patience, kindness and even humor. The visualization must have made me think that I was such a mature Christian.
But then, I suddenly remembered reading from one of Jack Canfield's books that we should be inverse paranoids if we are to get from where we are to where we want to be. An inverse paranoid is someone who thinks that others are rooting for them.
I was therefore not being an inverse paranoid by imagining people criticizing me for what I have done or not done. Whether I changed my thought pattern after remembering that piece of advice from Jack Canfield is something I can't recall.
All I remember is that at around 6:55 p.m. of that same Sunday, it dawned on me that all through the day, I had imagined potential conflicts instead of counting my blessings. I wasn't such a mature Christian as I may have thought.
That I have not yet attained Christian maturity became more apparent five days ago when I reflected on the negative thoughts I have had over the last three weeks. On Wednesday for instance, I spent part of my day thinking how crooked some people are. I put them down, not in speech but in thought.
From my readings of the Bible and other motivational materials, I have learnt to love people, to look for the best in others and to make all my friends feel like there is something special in them. But that's not what I did on Wednesday.
Realizing how miserable my thoughts sometimes are has spurred me to be thinking noble thoughts as St. Paul urges us in Philippians 4:8. As I endeavor to do that, I have sung to God the following verse from one of my favorite hymns:
Teach me thy way, O Lord; teach me thy way!My beloved reader, I beseech you to also think noble thoughts all day long. Have a positive self-talk and focus on the good in others. Above all, count your blessings. That, I believe, is the key to attracting the wealth and honor we crave for.
Thy guiding grace afford; teach me thy way!
Help me to walk aright, more by faith, less by sight;
Lead me with heav’nly light; teach me thy way!
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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on thinking noble thoughts, you might also enjoy another one on "Developing Our Thinking Ability" which I wrote some time back. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.