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Faith in Overcoming Negative Thinking

Faith in Overcoming Negative Thinking

Sariah Hilt
Attitude, Faith, Joy

Faith in Overcoming Negative Thinking

By Sariah Hilt

The human mind is fascinating! It automatically oversees all our bodily functions while also helping us think, feel, and experience the world around us. No matter how much we learn about the mind, it is very complex and mysterious.  And everyone’s mind thinks just a little differently. Even two people having the same experience can remember it a little bit differently.

Have you ever wondered why sometimes negative memories are easier to remember than positive ones? That is actually a human characteristic known as Negativity Bias. It means that we “attend to, learn from, and use negative information far more than positive information” (2).  That’s a fancy way of saying, if a situation was negative, we’re more likely to pay closer attention and remember it sharper, than positive situations. So if our mind has a tendency to remember negative situations, it can make it hard to maintain a happy disposition and have a positive outlook on life.

There is no way to avoid trials and difficult circumstances in life.  The problem begins to arise when we are constantly thinking and remembering negative experiences, while ignoring and missing out on the good happening around us. The joy we could experience in this life can be clouded and hidden by our mind refusing to let go of the darkness it’s seen.

Laman and Lemuel in the Book of Mormon were examples of not being able to see the miracles that surrounded them. The Book of Mormon talks about how they saw an angel, “behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them.” (3) Honestly, how many of us have seen an angel, let alone hear one speak? I would be in such awe in that event that I don’t think I could have moved. But, not one minute after the angel left, Laman and Lemuel started complaining again, “And after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur” (4).  They couldn’t bask in the moment long enough to see what a miracle the angel was. They refused to change their mindset and went right back to talking negatively.

So, how can we overcome this negative thinking? How can we be less like Laman and Lemuel? How can we rearrange our minds to allow positivity to take precedence, instead of negative bias? God made men “that they might have joy” (5). So how do we find that joy?

Elder Gene R. Cook of the First Quorum of the Seventy said, “How can we achieve ... in life? I submit that it is by doing things the Lord’s way. We can make things happen through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” He continues, “Some are concerned about raising families, about sickness, death, personality problems, and personal growth. Once again, can faith in the Lord mark the way? Some people try to answer these difficult questions on their own and hope for the best but still end up making wrong choices.” (6)

That seems like an overly simple answer to the question of how to find joy. All we need is Faith in Jesus Christ? How does that help us? Well, Elder Cook tells us that, “The simplest definition I know of faith is ‘faith is power.’”

 
 

Joseph Smith gave an incredible description of how powerful faith can be:

“Had it not been for the principle of faith, the worlds would never have been framed, neither would man have been formed of the dust. It is the principle by which Jehovah works, and through which he exercises power over all temporal as well as eternal things…

“Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things; by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeable to the will of God. Without it there is no power, and without power there could be no creation nor existence.” (7)

 
 

It feels like faith can be such a simple answer, but in reality it holds so much power. If faith can create worlds and form man from dust, then faith can certainly help us feel more positive in our daily life.  We need to have faith that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us. We need to have faith that they want us to be happy. We need to have faith that they can show us the best way to be happy. If we truly believe, and ask God in faith, nothing wavering, he will show us the way to find joy.





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