Allow Pure Thoughts
“You cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode unless you admit the air and sunshine freely into your rooms, so a strong body and a bright, happy, or serene countenance can only result from the free admittance into the mind of thoughts of joy and goodwill and serenity.”
— James Allen
Reflection
Allen’s picture of the mind as an abode is disarmingly simple: “You cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode unless you admit the pure and joyful into your mind.” If your home were filled with smoke and foul air, you would not shrug and accept it as normal. You would open windows, clear the air, and guard against whatever caused the pollution in the first place. Yet many of us tolerate a constant haze of resentment, suspicion, and complaint in our thoughts — and still expect to feel peace.
Allowing pure thoughts does not mean pretending that evil or suffering are not real. It means refusing to give them a permanent room inside your inner life. You acknowledge what is broken without meditating on it until your hope collapses. You notice your own failures without rehearsing them until shame drowns out grace. Little by little, you learn to recognize which thoughts leave your inner “abode” sweeter, and which ones sour the whole atmosphere.
This is spiritual hygiene. Just as a neglected house quietly attracts pests, a neglected thought life quietly attracts problems that could have been prevented. When you intentionally welcome thoughts that are honest, grateful, forgiving, and faith‑filled, you do not erase hardship — but you do make your inner world a place where wisdom can speak and courage can grow.
And that’s worth thinking about.
— Vic Johnson
Putting It Into Practice
- Take one situation that frustrates you and list the thoughts you normally entertain about it. Then write one pure, truthful thought you will choose instead.
- Do a “door check” three times today: pause and ask, “What have I just been letting into my mind?” Gently replace any bitter or accusing thoughts.
- Before bed tonight, thank God for at least three glimpses of goodness or grace you saw during the day, no matter how small they seemed.
One Question To Ponder
If your mind were a home other people could walk through, would it feel sour and cluttered — or clean, peaceful, and full of grace?
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