wholesome thinking

Is it possible for a truism to get more true over time? It seems like the longer I live, the more powerful the concept becomes that what I put in my mind, and what I choose to think and think about, has a profound influence on how my day goes.

This certainly isn’t a new idea. Peter wrote about it thousands of years ago, in II Peter 3:1-2: “Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.”

What we put in our heads is so important that Peter wrote two letters with the purpose of making sure we were looking at the right things. He wanted to direct the early church, and all Christians, to dwell on the writings of the holy prophets and the words of Jesus they brought to us.

In a typical day I absorb a lot of information, and I’m sure some or maybe even much of it is suspect. We’re learning that what we see on TV is brought to us with some bias. We’re learning that what passes for news on social media is at best likely to be one-sided, and could very well be completely made up. And even the true things I expose myself to often are not likely to focus me on the things of God. I know more about the deviant behavior of evil men and the amoral actions of celebrities than I do about the lives of our missionaries, for example.

So how do I correct that? How do I make sure that the words of Peter, Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are dominating my thoughts? How do I keep what they teach us about Jesus foremost?

It’s an important question because these are the things that will shape my desires, my attitudes and my actions. If I get wound up in the secular prognostications about social or political issues, if I get sidetracked by what they’re calling identity politics, if I wander too far down the pop culture bunny trail, I’m going to lose my focus, and lose my way.

Obviously I need to immerse myself in scripture, but I can’t spend the whole day there. Eventually I have to put down the Bible and go to work. Life demands my attention. So how do I continue to think wholesome things in an unwholesome world?

It’s another thing I’m going to have to work out.