Article August 6, 1990 Issue

Who is knocking at the door?

When negative, unspiritual thoughts come knocking at our mental doors, we don't need to answer!

Dan Sadowsky

Most of us have heard of "Knock! Knock!" jokes. One person says, "Knock! Knock!" The other asks, "Who's there?" The joke concludes with a dialogue leading to a punch line that is usually a play on words.

Those of us familiar with these jokes have probably been on the receiving end of at least one—awful—punch line. Because we know the routine won't work without the proper response, we willingly play along for a harmless laugh.

But when it comes to the barrage of thoughts that confronts us daily, a mental "open-door policy" may not be the best choice. Not every "knock" deserves to be answered, but how do we know which thoughts to accept and which to reject? A good starting point can be found in I John, where the disciple advises, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God." And how do we "try the spirits"—test the thoughts—that come to us? By knowing God well enough to identify those qualities that characterize man, His expression, and those that don't. Is the message peaceful, pure, uplifting, selfless? Or is it disturbing, fearful, uncaring, anxious? Mrs. Eddy, whose writings show God to be entirely good, comments in Science and Health, "We should become more familiar with good than with evil, and guard against false beliefs as watchfully as we bar our doors against the approach of thieves and murderers."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Editorial

Finding unity amid diversity