I have a large picture window in my office across from my desk that I look out through into my wife’s beautiful garden. To keep it clean, I must periodically go outside with my Windex and rag to wipe away the dirt from the weather and elements from the irrigation water that build up.
But, interestingly, I have to clean the inside of the window almost as often. There is a misty haze that builds up slowly over time on the inside of the glass. This haze is not created by anything obvious to the eye. There is no weather in my office, no irrigation water sprinkling the pane, yet, there is a buildup of invisible elements from the air that incrementally increase over time and obstruct the view. It has to be washed away to keep my view through the window pristine clear.
I’ve noticed that the same experience can happen in thinking. If we are not alert, a mental haze can slowly fog over our view of spiritual reality over time. It happens invisibly and incrementally, such that we might not even notice it. But to keep our view of spiritual reality clear, it needs to be recognized and wiped away.
This mental haze can take the form of lethargy, laziness, a growing negative attitude, grumbling, seething resentments, grumpiness, self-satisfaction, smugness, and more. These carnal attitudes may start out tiny at first, but if indulged, continue to grow until they become a significant problem. It’s best to wipe them out in their early stages! But it’s never too late.
To keep your mental window clear, hold to a high standard for your thinking. Expect to be manifesting the Mind of Christ every day. The Mind of Christ is full of love, joy, gratitude, peace, and spiritual mindedness. It is not grumpy, resentful, stubborn, uncooperative, or seething. It is delightful, inspired, buoyant and generous.
When your thinking is clear of evil, your view of reality will be clear, and that allows you to see more of God’s goodness all around and to experience more of it.
It takes work in the form of honest self-examination, prayer and study to keep thought clear of error, but it’s worth the effort. When the haze is gone, the view is inspiring, and spiritual healing happens with greater ease.
Another thoughtful thought provoking sharing! Thank you!
Thanks Evan! Just what I need for today. The “haze” can be quite subtle and this woke me up!
Thank you. This is a good reminder to keep alert to what’s in my thought.
Yes!!! Carnal mental attitudes have a tendency to form a ring and get closer and closer, like a phalanx. These thoughts are ultimately nutso as they make us feel separate from God. But they can have the appearance of internal consistency and often they seem to make sense. I sometimes call carnal attitudes “false wisdom” because they appeal to “experience” over innocence. That’s how they hook me, anyway. The desiderata of false mental concepts gather like fog until I can’t see things as they are. These attitudes provide foregone conclusions and keep me from seeing things with fresh eyes.
Thank you, Evan.
Exclent just what I needed! Thanks Evan.
WOW! EXCELLENT instruction!
To me, this is what mindfulness is all about. To stop in the present moment, to be aware of what thinking is presenting itself to occupy thought: what is its source, or what premise it it based on? What’s it’s purpose, is it worth perpetuating, that is, forwarding/expressing? It’s so lovely that we have the God given capacity to be aware and make the choice for good, before the haze gets even the tiniest foothold.
So Good, Evan! Thanks! We do need to be Alert, too, to not becoming “glazed over” with trying so hard to “see only the Good” that we overlook our duty to notice when something feels funny or wrong and is alerting us to what needs correcting. I know Mrs. Eddy was keen on not ignoring evil, but on being alert to sensing/seeing it so that she could then take proper mental and physical steps to address it and wipe it out. To say, “It’s All Good” can become just another way of not wanting to see and correct what needs correcting in our thought or out there in the world.
So true, Bevi! We must not be Ostriches with our heads in the sand, but FACE error bravely AS THE UNREALITY it is!! We are, after all, Christian Warriors! Not wimps!
Yes you both have a good point and we don’t want to be wimps!
Just last night I was given a lovely way to keeping my consciousness clear. I ask myself with each thought and deed..”Is this leading me to God or away from God?”…am I listening to Spirit or material sense?
Thank you! I love clear windows and thoughts…pure, sparkling with light, and leading to glorious views!
Thank you Evan. When the windows are clear the light shines through. Blessings to all today.
Oh Lord am I grateful for this mental wake up SpiritView, after I had a little quarrel after our testimony meeting tonight. Thank you dear Evan for admonishing me to clear and clean my mental window (thinking) to see me and the member as kind and joyful
child of God and to forget the quarrel as it is anyway nothing in God’s pure eyes. Also a certaine touchiness can be wiped away and make a clear spiritual loving view again.
To study the weekly Christian Science lesson sermon more thorouly helps me to clear my thinking and fill it with inspirational and healing thoughts. I am very grateful that we got wonderful spiritual tools in CS with which we can work.
Thank you all for your helpful good comments
Staying alert and a porter to our thoughts should not be stressful.and when it is I wonder who is stressed? I used to ask myself What is the most intelligent thing to do here, meaning what is the one Mind see here. As someone said, asking is this thought toward God or away from God, a nice addition. I also ask myself, who is talking? It can be a big surprise when the clutter of mortal mind has filled our consciousness without our awareness. Your picture window will stay in mind as I look out into the world of thought. thank you.
love it