L.E.N.T. (Let’s Eliminate Negative Thinking) was coined by my mentor and friend Dr. James Mellon. He shared this challenge several years ago in answer to the tradition of Lent practiced in the Catholic world. It is his New Thought version of this period of time. He shared it again today in a Facebook Live. Lent begins today so, let’s eliminate negative thinking; let that be our Lent.

Accepting the challenge and being able to actually accomplish it could or could not be a simple task. Think of it, 40 days of not thinking a negative thought!

Before I can eliminate something, I must know what it is I am eliminating. For me, a negative thought is any thought that doesn’t serve my expansion of love and joy. I wonder why I would think something that isn’t for my highest good. The truth is, it is just a program that has become a habit because it has been fed continually with emotion and my amazing ability to look for reasons why it is true. Let’s say the negative thinking is about lack. Once we feel we are lacking and living in that atmosphere, it will show up everywhere to let us know we are right. We propagate our own thinking through the Law of Attraction.

If we want to eliminate negative thinking, we have to first realize that we can do it. Next, we have to make a decision to do it. Nothing will change without a decision. Despite what we might believe right now, we are in charge of our thinking. It might be difficult to break a habit, but it has been done and we each have the capability to do so. We must train ourselves like athletes do. I learned that in a program with Dr. James called “Mental Muscle.”

So, we’ve made a decision, now what? I would use Spiritual Mind Treatment to affirm my decision and know that the Universe within me is backing me 100% of the way. I would affirm that this so-called challenge is actually fun, easy and a great experiment that I plan to prove. I can eliminate negative thinking and I do it now.

My work will be in turning around my negative thoughts. The key to me is gratitude and appreciation for myself and my efforts. I also have gratitude for what is, building on what I have instead of what I lack. This can be carried into every area of our lives. Gratitude is the attitude that brings more love, abundance, creativity and good health.  Dr. Joe Dispenza would say that “gratitude is the chief atmosphere of receivership.”

When negative thoughts creep in, and they will, my job is to look at them square in the face and deny their truth. I thank them for serving me up until now, but letting them know that they no longer belong to me. I then replace them with the opposite idea filled with the emotions of gratitude and love. I am now learning to stay with the new feeling until I actually feel the change in feeling.

I agree with Dr. Mellon. I know we can eliminate negative thinking during this current Season of Lent. I bless my Catholic brothers and sisters in their efforts to abstain from their distractions and I do the same. Negative thoughts are just distractions pulling me from my True Identity which is God, the Divine Presence.

My thinking comes from my beliefs. So, I know that behind every negative thought is a belief that I am not worthy or something else of this nature. I am worthy. I am Divine. I am abundant. I am everything that the Universe is right now – whole, harmonious and balanced. I have every capability to think as I want to think and to have every thought I think serve my highest good.

In closing, I thank Dr. James for this powerful message: Let’s eliminate negative thinking. We can do it with Love. So, here’s my added note: Love eliminates negative thinking. Love leads the way, and of course, the Law makes the way possible.

Love and Aloha,

Rev. Rita