We
are instructed, "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then
shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God" (D&C 121:45).
President David O. McKay said, "No principle of life was more
constantly emphasized by the Great Teacher than the necessity of right
thinking" (Gospel Ideals [Salt Lake City: The Improvement Era,
1973], 38). The attempt of the destroyer to fill our minds with
negative, unrighteous thoughts is no small attack but a major
confrontation. It has been said, "Man is made or unmade by himself; in
the armory of thought, he forges the weapons by which he destroys
himself" (quoted by Joseph B. Wirthlin, Finding Peace in Our Lives
[Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1995], 211). Knowing what we do, would
we ever admit into our homes movies, TV programs, videos, music,
advertising, or tantalizing entertainment of any kind that would, if
possible, hold us and our families captive by polluting our minds?
I
recall a lesson I heard as a child in which my Primary teacher
emphasized with considerable effort the danger of letting bad words
get into our minds. That was long before TV, Internet, R-rated movies,
and the like. I left that class sobered. The two worst words I knew,
which would barely be considered slang today, grabbed my attention and
played across my young mind. I recall sitting in my desk at school the
next day burdened. The harder I tried not to think of those two words,
the more constant they seemed to be. They refused to let go of my
attention. The following week, as I recall, one of the memory gems we
used to repeat in Sunday School each week came to my mind as a rescue
to my thoughts:
Purify our hearts, our Savior,
Let us go not far astray,
That we might be counted worthy
Of thy spirit, day by day.
When
our hearts are right, our thoughts are right. And God knows our
thoughts and the intent of our hearts (see D&C 6:16). After that day,
for years, when an unwanted thought would grab my attention, I would
repeat the words of that old memory gem.
© 1999
Ardeth Greene Kapp. All rights reserved
As many of you
have probably experienced, there are times when things cross our minds
that we want to purge. I have favorite song that I sang as
a child that I use as a "Memory Gem". Encourage your Young Women
to have a "Memory Gem" of their own to "rescue" their thoughts. (Alice
Gifford - YW Connection)
2007 Index
