Article April 18, 1925 Issue

Watch Your Thought

KATE W. BUCK

EVERYBODY is familiar with the colloquialism, "Watch your step," which in a country already rich in terse phraseology seems to have taken a permanent place as part of its everyday language. Good advice, as it assuredly is, it leads one into the realm where it originated; and here we find it to be naturally lifted to a higher meaning and importance. Thought admittedly precedes every act, word, and motion, whether consciously or unconsciously; and as thought was the producer of the phrase referred to, it can readily be seen that we need still another epigram to father this one, as it were.

Let us adopt for our motto, "Watch your thought," and see what we can gain by listening to its friendly counsel. If we watch our thought, we shall certainly watch our step; for Mind is the only motive power,—Mind, which is always knowing and producing. Recognizing but one Mind, and that Mind God, or good, we find the eternal source of all good thoughts, and hence of all good deeds. God, who made man in His own image, is constantly expressed by this man of His creating, in whom is reflected God-given dominion. This reflection does not mean dominion over a few things, but over all things, "himself subordinate alone to his Maker," as Mrs. Eddy tells us on page 518 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures."

Individual man, then, reflects the power and the ability to express an harmonious, God-given dominion over his own affairs; and in order that we may do this, we must first govern our thinking and bring it into conformity with the wisdom, confidence, and fearlessness which are of God, and are therefore good. Men have been so complacently in the habit of letting their thoughts run riot, obeying personal impulses, thinking they were thinking when they were not thinking at all, that to watch and actually control thought may seem at first both impractical and foolish. They must, however, distinguish between good thinking and bad thinking, and hold to the one and discard the other. When one honestly begins this plan of campaign, he soon learns that, though it may keep him perpetually busy, many things worth while are accomplished. Carlyle writes, "A thinking man is the worst enemy the prince of darkness can have." He who thinks only good thoughts will be incapable of speaking anything but good words or of doing anything but good deeds. And is not this the spiritual ideal which mankind desires, and must finally attain?

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