Emerson, The Twits & Why Thoughts Matter
Believe the Best – Ugly Thoughts vs. Radiant Hearts
Hello there,
Ralph Waldo Emerson warned, “Beware of what you set your mind on because that you surely will become.” Roald Dahl seemed to know a thing or two about this when he illustrated it in The Twits with one of my favourite quotes ever:
“If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on their face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it. A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”
Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV) similarly says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Our ‘heart’ in scripture is the culmination of our desires and our thoughts, our thinking, our choices. Here, heart is ‘kardia’ which encompasses your mind, character, will, inner self, and intention. We will bring good things out in our lives, we will be fruitful, if our desires AND our choices, thoughts and intentions are also good.
God cares about the content of our thought life because it shapes who we become. This isn’t about ignoring reality or pretending everything is perfect; it’s about intentionally choosing to think on what builds us and others up (Philippians 4:8).
Practical Tip: When a negative thought surfaces, ask, “Is this true? Is it lovely? Does it reflect God’s heart?” If not, toss it. Let’s keep shining!
Cheering you on,
Em
I used to read Roald Dahl avidly as a kid, but I must have forgotten that quote. There is actually a serious life story behind it. Roald Dahl twice had his nose ripped off his face - once in a car crash (passengering with his sister in her new car, without seatbelts), once in a severe plane crash in World War 2 (he was the pilot). He also endured a horrible time at school, at the hands of superiors who I suspect he would have said had "ugly thoughts". It sounds like these experiences made it into that very quote from The Twits.