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Thoughts Unsought

Where do they come from, these unsought thoughts? Pope John XXIII tells the way he first thought about convening the Second Vatican Council, which has been called the most significant religious event of the century and will influence the world for centuries to come.

He said, although not with Locke's words, that the idea for the Council just dropped into his mind. It did not come as a logical answer to a particular problem. It just dropped in, so to speak. Lawrence Elliott, in his biography of the popular pope, quotes him: “Suddenly an inspiration sprang up within us as a flower that blooms in an unexpected springtime…a council!”

I won't attempt to answer the question about where these ideas come from. But let me say something about not missing them when they do come. And not just to popes.

We won't miss these gems only if we have prepared ourselves in advance of their visit by creating a place of welcome, if we have a sign on our souls saying: Valuable Unsought Thoughts—Enter Here.

The construction of the sign includes the wood of silence, the metal of serenity, and the nails of quiet recollection.

Pope John is a fine example of such a soul. His autobiography reveals a lifelong desire and effort to “know and do God's will.”When the thought of the Council dropped in, his place of welcome was ready, having been prepared by prayer, service, humility, and many hours and days of contemplation.

The thoughts that often come unsought, and, as it were, drop into the most valuable of any we have.

—John Locke

See your quiet moments today as preparation of a welcoming place for valuable thoughts that will just drop in.