What’s On Your Mind?

By Scott Ferrier, MJ • Phoenix, AZ

There is an old adage that was adopted during the early days of computers as their usage increased in many of today’s industries: “Garbage in—garbage out.” If you input an error, you get an error back. Because they generate information fast and are highly predictable, it was not long before computers were managing navigation systems and autopilots.

As a former airline pilot, I learned how to fly in the Rocky Mountains and spent several years operating in and out of mountainous terrain and high-altitude environments. There the pilots had their own version of the adage. It was, “Garbage in, garbage out—garbage on the side of the mountain.” In bad weather, there was a potential threat lurking from clouds we called cumulus granitus—for inside these clouds, very large rocks were hiding. Negligence in thought or attention could
be catastrophic.

I am a little surprised at how many people are under the impression that “airplanes fly themselves”— “Don’t you guys just sit up there, drink coffee, and read the newspaper?” Well, not quite… Thoughts matter—ideas have consequences. Pilots have to be responsible for what goes into those computers. Believe me, it gets your attention when the aircraft starts doing something you don’t expect it to. “Where’s it going now? or How does it know?” Seriously, these humorous sayings were our cue to disconnect the autopilot and take over manually until the problem could be sorted.

The same is true of our thoughts. Our minds are computers. Sin begins in our thoughts. So, also, good thoughts precede good actions. Why do so many find it helpful to pray the Psalms? It’s because they do more than articulate the thoughts and desires of our heart to God.

The monastics, following the desert fathers and mothers, recognized that spiritual warfare begins with one’s thoughts. By ‘watching’ the thoughts that came into the mind, they learned discernment. For them, memorization of the Scriptures, especially the Psalms, chased off bad thoughts by enthroning good ones. The next time I do something regretful or if I act poorly on impulse, I’d best be aware that my actions have sprung from one of my predominant negative thoughts concerning myself or others.

We have good reason to pay attention to the thoughts we are thinking.