Questioning Vain Imaginations

I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of our books of scripture is called the Book of Mormon. It is the best thought book ever written. It is full of conflict and turmoil between two different groups of people, the Nephites and the Lamanites.

One phrase that is frequently used in the Book of Mormon is vain imaginations. It is used to explain why the wicked group of people (Lamanites typically, but sometimes the Nephites) fight against those who are trying to follow God.

The wicked group usually starts thinking thoughts that are hateful and making up things that did not even happen, or they twist the truth of what really happened.

Has that ever happened to you? This book is so applicable to life.

Stay with me, we’re going to get back to vain imaginations in a second . . .

So, since I’m in between graduate classes right now I’m doing some light reading . . . .

You know the kind . . . . Boy meets girl, they both like each other and then have some kind of misunderstanding so they break up and then at the end of the book they miraculously get back together.

Sometimes I get super frustrated with these stories because it’s always the same story, first off, and I just can’t stand how the characters make such a big deal about everything and why can’t they just talk it out?

Why, oh why, do I keep reading these books?!

I think we can all relate to those stories because to a certain extent it IS what happens in real life.

It happened to me.

When I met my husband it was the same type of scenario. Thankfully our story did end up as a happily ever after and all the misunderstandings were resolved! Just like a romance novel!

Why do the characters in books and those in real life end up having misunderstandings in their relationships?

Maybe it’s because there wouldn’t be a story with out!

Or quite possibly it’s because of their thoughts and all the vain imaginations going on in their heads!

In the story I just read, the whole book delved into the thoughts of each person. The couple broke up because of some past history with a former girlfriend of which the boy in the story couldn’t let go, and his thoughts went crazy about things that weren’t even happening with his current girlfriend (much like the Nephites and Lamanites, right?).

Vain imaginations.

Same thing happened with me and my husband. I kind of broke up with him (well, he says I did break up, but I just wanted to slow down!!) because due to previous experience I was worried we were going too fast in our relationship. It was all in my head.

Vain imaginations.

My challenge for each of us is to take a step back and start observing what we are thinking about.

Is it true or is it just vain imaginations?

Do you like the thought and want to keep it or is it causing you pain?

I have found that many of our thoughts are just that, thoughts.

Even if you think the thought is true, you can choose, with practice, to think something different that isn’t so painful.

So observe your thoughts and questions them.

It’s time to let go of our vain imaginations.