Do you pay close enough attention to your thinking to aptly discern when you are under the influence of mental malpractice, and when you are thinking with spiritual clarity?
The influence of destructive malpractice can be so subtle. It is any argument of evil that would deny God’s goodness at work in your life.
For instance, one day I started worrying about whether my recently graduated daughter would find a good job or not. Red flag alert!! Why would I worry or fear for my daughter’s future unless I was mentally entertaining doubts that God had not fully provided for her? That was malpractice at work in my thought, coming from world fear at large on the subject of employment, working to pull my thought into a dark, hopeless feeling place. I shed it promptly. And I was much more helpful as a result.
Or, another time, I discerned a barely noticeable undercurrent of evil at the bottom hindquarters of my thinking, in a dark remote corner, that was viciously arguing, “You’re not making progress with your prayers.” It had been creating a sensation of ho-hum in my attitude, causing me to withdraw, sapping me of my usual buoyant joy, and putting me into a trance-like lull. Once I saw it, I knew that the trouble was malicious malpractice, coming from the carnal mind at large that would deny fruition from prayer. I aimed the metaphysical arrow of truth at its heart, killed its argument, and almost instantly felt free. The heaviness lifted, my joy returned, and my prayers were answered.
The wise metaphysician is keenly alert to the contents of his mental household. When malpractice sneaks in, it’s time to kick it out!
Stay alert! Stay free! And stay well.
“Unless one’s eyes are opened to the modes of mental malpractice, working so subtly that we mistake its suggestions for the impulses of our own thought, the victim will allow himself to drift in the wrong direction without knowing it. Be ever on guard against this enemy” (Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellany p. 213).
I was thinking exactly about this kind of issue yesterday, Evan ! When these subtle negative, carnal thoughts try to influence our behavior … Didn’t know they were called mental malpractice. Thanks for sharing this powerful reminder ! To stay free from all these carnal thoughts that try to limit us is the real freedom !
Thanks. We can never be reminded too much to watch our thinking.
“The wise metaphysician is keenly alert to the contents of his mental household”. PROFOUND! Thank you, Evan, this is a strong statement of the need to protect our consciousness for that alone is where the issues of life are determined. It took many years for that truth to take hold for me. It’s really kind of exciting to contemplate that we have the “mind of Christ” as the Bible teaches. We can boot out the world’s low standards of thought and embrace the Christ-view of things. The result is a more harmonious and healthy experience.
Malpractice thinking must be constantly booted out. That’s what “Pray unceasingly is all about. It’s quite hard to do as a human. But that’s where the study of C/S comes into play, for without it, we’re really sunk.
Just yesterday I was about to harbor worrisome thoughts regarding one of my brothers and his financial situation. God was with me however and I immediately reminded myself I should not be worrying over 1. something that was really one of my business and 2.. a situation that was completely under God’s watchful care. So that malpractice ship sailed back out to sea without any passengers.
This is very helpful. Thank you!
Thanks for your blog! I read it and couldn’t help but smile because I caught myself harboring something negative in my thought. No one wants chaos and negativity in their living space and that surely starts with the our thoughts. We cannot let thoughts that are not of God live in our thoughts rent-free. ‘When malpractice sneaks in, it’s time to kick it out!’
Thanks, Evan! Just the right message for today. I already feel free from the worries that seemed so powerful before I read your message!
I am so grateful for your Blog and the messages from your readers.
Thanks for sharing the specific examples that you did. I need to be more vigilant.
I think MBE would include malicious malpractice as “mental trespassing,” which is a no-no, of course.
I loved that you shared the story of your daughter after graduation, worrying
if she would get a good job. More than once I found myself going down that path. I have great concerns about my granddaughter, her safety, her future
and more. But, THANK GOD for Christian Science and class instruction quickly sets me back where I need to be.
Thanks so much for this message. How easy it is to be fooled into believing that these negative impulses are real, or are our own thinking. The only person, place, or thing that is real is God; and he is not to be worried over. He should be welcomed into our thinking as the only reality there is. Thanks so much for this site/blog.
Thank you for this message. The examples you provided of “negative” influences are sometimes easier to detect than the influences parading through our thinking as “positive”. For example, my mother started having to have a water bottle with her at all times 10-20 years ago. For 60 years she was free to take a trip in a car, even trips across country, without a water bottle by her side. But at some point she became unable to even take a 5 minute car ride to the supermarket without a water bottle. Thinking about this recently I realized that this behavior coincided with the proliferation of sales of bottles of water. Once vendors starting advertising drinking bottled water, I believe that subtle message infiltrated my mother’s thinking and caused her to be paranoid about ever being without a bottle of water. The advertising message is a positive one (i.e. drinking bottled water is safer and healthier than drinking tap water), but it is equally as damaging on our thinking as the negative thoughts you mentioned in your blog post. Other messages directed at us fit this same pattern, like brushing with fluoride toothpaste prevents cavities, eating “healthy” foods, etc. So don’t forget to be on the look out for the negative “positive” thoughts too!
Astute observations Brian! Thanks for sharing. Sounds like another blog topic LOL