Chapter 9
Thought Hints
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” The majority of people think in the head and starve the heart, and the result is a lack of poise. The only true, well-balanced thinking is in union of the head and heart. We should practice thinking in our hearts, in the within; this will establish equilibrium, and we shall find our souls. If we think wholly in the head, in the world without, we lose our souls; and “what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” The soul must be built up, and to accomplish this, soul-concentration must be practiced. Then let our daily prayer be that we may think in the heart. If we practice thinking in the heart we shall have better thinking in the head. At the heart we come in touch with the universal Soul of Being, and we feel and know God.
We find that our minds work along definite lines in all successful thinking. The mind constructs temples, stone by stone, step by step. The power of man is in his mind, and the last step in constructive thinking is to realize the consummation of your idea. You start your thought with a certain idea, and carry it along in various steps until a conclusion is reached. That conclusion is the fruit of your thought, and this holding in mind the consummation is necessary to the completion of any line of thinking. If your thinking is without this definite conclusion, you go on and on and never arrive. God completed his creative process, and rested on the seventh day from all his work. Divine Mind is a type of the individual mind, and it is safe for us to follow it in all our thought processes.
Right here your attention is called to some of the side lines of thinking, showing how you may avoid discouragement if you do not see fulfillment at once of your ideal. For any seeming divergence there is probably a lack of concentration or of faith in the power of your own mind in unity with the Universal Mind. If you do not have confidence in all the steps of your mind, the consummation is disappointing. No matter what the seeming may be, you should declare completeness, because nothing is done without the Word. Say “It is finished,” and rest in the consciousness of work done. Stick to the proposition that all is fulfilled and nothing is lacking. If you admit of lack you close the door against full consummation. All lines of thinking have to be carefully handled, because we are dealing with Principle, which works like chain lightning, but which may be stopped by a very little doubtful or weak thought. Do not put any limit upon your possibilities. Remember that when the large army of Assyrians encompassed the little band of Israelites within the city, Elisha saw the mountains round about full of chariots and soldiers, and the Israelites were delivered. Do not be discouraged. The universal spiritual force with which you have charged your mind will accomplish great things for you. Stay with your ideal and make your I Am statements, no matter what the seeming, and you will rest confidently in the consciousness of work well done.
