Book of Mormon: Day 123: The Power of Our Thoughts

Today’s Reading: Mosiah 4:25-30

30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

In my morning prayers, I regularly ask Heavenly Father that he will help direct my thoughts throughout the day.  In response, he has taught me that life offers a buffet of thoughts to choose from, but only I get to load my plate. I can choose between optimism and pessimism, faith and doubt, self-loathing and self-confidence, sensitivity and insensitivity and the list goes on and on. In one area of my life, this spread of choices is always before my eyes. And for some reason, each option–even those I should be disgusted by–are extremely tempting. The area of which I’m speaking is Motherhood. I particularly plead with my Father in Heaven for help regarding how I think about my children and my role as a Mother…and I’m learning.

I’m learning that MY thoughts, MY words, and MY actions are all likewise MY choice! I can choose to think that my daughter is a difficult child who is trying to make me upset, or I can choose to think that she is generally sweet but just going through a “rough phase”. I can choose to think that she is being slow because she wants to make me late, or I can choose to remember that a 3-year-old has short legs, so it takes her longer to get down the stairs. I can choose to think that I am inadequate as a Mother and will never measure up, or I can choose to remember that perfection doesn’t happen immediately but comes “line upon line, precept upon precept”. And why do these thoughts matter? Because thoughts don’t remain as thoughts!  I sometimes assume that because no one can see or hear my thoughts, that they don’t really affect me or others. But the following quote illustrates how incorrect that assumption is:

We sow our thoughts, and we reap our actions; we sow our actions, and we reap our habits; we sow our habits, and we reap our characters; we sow our characters, and we reap our destiny.  -C.A Hall (i)

Fulfilling my divine destiny as a Mom starts with my thoughts. I can think in a Christ-like manner about my children and about my role in their lives. And as I do so, the Spirit directs my words and actions, I rejoice in my role as a Mother. . .and I have less to repent of at the end of the day! When unrighteous thoughts do make their way onto my plate, I still have a choice–gobble them up, or scrape them into the garbage as soon as possible. I love the boldness and wit by which Elder Holland addresses this principle:

Like thieves in the night, unwelcome thoughts can and do seek entrance to our minds. But we don’t have to throw open the door, serve them tea and crumpets, and then tell them where the silverware is kept! . . .Throw the rascals out! Replace [unwelcome] thoughts with hopeful images and joyful memories (ii). 

Satan tries to influence our thoughts, to turn our hearts against our fellow men, our God, ourselves, and even our children. Let’s not be fooled. Let’s dispose of those thoughts, replace them with better ones “and continue in the faith . . .even unto the end of [our] lives”.

Courtney Parker

After growing up in the bitter cold of Alberta Canada and serving a mission in the scalding heat of Tucson Arizona, I finally settled for the “moderate” climate of Utah. I met my best friend and love of my life at BYU where I received my degree in Marriage and Family Studies. I stay at home with my two little girls, teach marriage classes with my husband, and run an alumni Facebook group. I love to write, bake, travel, teach, and feast upon the words of Christ, but my favorite happy thought of all is going on weekly dates with my husband!