I used to know a dog that would run constantly between two doors of the house whenever his owner left. Apparently he felt so much anxiety about the separation that he almost went into a trance. I'd watch that pooch run thoughtlessly back and forth, back and forth, and whenever I could, I'd try to play with him to distract him. This would only help for a little while, though, and soon he'd return to his mechanical running. The owner always came home, but the dog's behavior never changed.

Have you ever noticed how people can sometimes get caught up in trance-like, repetitive thinking? Once I heard a person schooled in the study of human behavior say that 90 to 95 percent of the thoughts we think in a day are exactly the same ones that we thought the day before. Of course, some of those thoughts are good and beneficial. And I have found that when love for God and His creation repeats in me, I feel blessed. It's the repetition of fears, resentments, and self-criticisms that isn't so good. People sometimes get themselves into a "mental loop," where they keep repeating the same debilitating thoughts—even for years at a time. Along these lines, Mary Baker Eddy once referred to the human mind as acting mechanically. But, she observed, "When the mechanism of the human mind gives place to the divine Mind, selfishness and sin, disease and death, will lose their foothold" (Science and Health, p. 176).

It's curious how these mechanistic, habitual thoughts appear to us. They come in words and feelings that, again and again, make us believe that we're separated from good. Usually these thoughts are inwardly focused and include a lot of "I," "me," and "my." And they can show up in many areas of life. For example, someone might feel a personal sense of lack that they carry around and identify with—whether it be lack of opportunity, companionship, eyesight, or money.

When I was quite young, our family often experienced a shortage of money. Many times I heard my parents talking together about how close we were to bankruptcy. Later I got into my own mental loop, where I expected not to have enough money for things I needed. Even after college, feeling impoverished was a way of life for me. I thought about it, mechanically expected it, and, not surprisingly, that's what I got.

This problem of habitual thinking was based on the notion that there just wasn't enough good to go around. Often I would think to myself, "I don't believe it's possible, but I hope that someday I'll have enough money so that I'll at last stop being afraid." (Obviously one of those negative "I," "me," and "my" statements!) The scenes in my life changed as I got married, but my habitual thinking about finances didn't.

Finally, however, I realized that it was time to start singing a new song. I saw more clearly that God is infinite good. And that since God is always present, there had to be enough love and good to go around. I finally admitted this to myself on the deepest level. From then on, I replaced recurring thoughts of financial shortage with abundant thoughts of spiritual truth—truth that governs all creation, including me. And that changed everything. More and more, I felt God's unlimited blessings and had the resources I needed.

That's just one example of how it's vital to watch your thoughts, especially the ones that are so quietly mechanical you sometimes don't even realize you're thinking them. It's worth the effort not to allow the thoughts you think today to become rooted in the depressing thoughts of yesterday. When we mix into our thinking the repetitive expectation of suffering, or of evil of any kind, we miss out on divine blessings.

Taking counsel from some insightful words of the Bible helps bring changes in our thought patterns. The Psalmist sang, "O sing unto the Lord a new song" (Ps. 98:1). The "old songs"—thoughts and feelings about oneself that depict loss, illness, victimization, or any other trouble—can be torn out of anyone's mental songbook. We can all break unthinking, knee-jerk patterns of thought, and be ready to sing a new song based on the riches of gratitude for all that God is and has made us to be. This is a progressive tune worth singing often.

What are some first steps to singing a new song? One might be to let God know that you're actually ready to release those recurring thoughts. Write one down, just for the purpose of exposing it. Then, with gratitude and meekness, completely release it. Be still and listen in your heart for what God wants you to think in its place. Keep a receptive and unselfish attitude when you're doing this. You'll feel love and peace when you hear God's words—and that's how you'll know that your new thought is from God. Now write down that message. Carry it with you, humbly allowing it to replace old, limited views. See how beneficial it is to turn away from the old patterns, and instead to give "unto the Lord the glory due unto his name" (Ps. 29:2).

Whenever we're expressing the riches of gratitude to God, we're singing healing songs. "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God," counseled Jesus (Matt. 5:8). And that's what really matters. In our new songs, our thoughts become pure reflections of God. We're not victims but the blessed children of our Father-Mother, whole and healthy, expressing the goodness of divinity.

Do you hear the new music? It's beautiful. Healing. Redeeming.

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