Needful Things ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

We often find ourselves overwhelmed by the things we need.  I would draw a distinct difference between what I need and what I think I need.  Most of my wasted worry and effort comes from my manufactured needs and not the genuine ones.  My comments yesterday about self-care and our over-attention to it are directed at the needs we manufacture; the needs we create that are unnecessary.  There are genuine needs that others have that I do not understand fully. 

God by Yongsung Kim

To that, one off my dear friends commented the following.  She did not post it publicly so I withhold her name out of respect.  She is right that my perspective comes from someone who is an extrovert.  He comments draw a clear line between genuine and manufactured needs that make my point but also resonate truth for those who are not as comfortable as I am in some settings.

Hi! Love your point of view as always. Read today’s blog and once again, I feel that that specific view is one of a confirmed extrovert. While I agree with you in a general sense—yes, we are to love others above ourselves—I would be a puddle on the floor if I did not engage in some pretty serious self-care. Trust me, sometimes I would rather not focus on myself as I find myself quite tedious! But this is the way God made me. I find that as I get older, my bandwidth for people decreases. Some exit my life and I’m grateful, see it as God’s merciful provision. One less person to have to juggle. To please. To disappoint. Does that mean I don’t love them? No, I don’t think so. Because love does not mean I must insert myself into their lives. I let them go, trusting God to bring others into the sphere of their everyday to show Himself to them. And I remain open to their return to me. Or I feel led to dip my toe into the waters of their consciousness. Chasing only brings frustration and heartache. This seems to be the way of the introvert. I have to go with it. Love you dear friend—I’m so glad we hang in there with each other.

The truth I am getting at and must live is that I have to realize clearly what my genuine needs are.  I must set aside the needs are not genuine and pursue only truth.  I realize that we all feel like we are drowning in our emotional needs at times.  It is the One who walks on water who promises to supply all of our needs.  Physical, emotional, and social needs are genuine and unique to the individual.   Those can only be met through the love of Christ and the love we show each other in his grace.

It is in faith and following that I will find my needs met in ways I cannot imagine.   In that singular path, I will be able to shed the harmful things I do to meet my own false needs and the false needs themselves eventually.  Until then, when I feel like they flood over me, I can depend on Christ to care for me.  I can count on him to keep me in his care and sustain me even when I feel like I am drowning. 

I think we can agree Dear Reader that we all present as needs some things that are wants or desires.  If we lay them aside, or give them their proper place, we can find peace and faith much more easily.  As always, I am thankful for your company along the path.  Your love and support are one of the things that sustain me. 

Head Above Water – Avril Lavigne

I've gotta keep the calm before the storm
I don't want less, I don't want more
Must bar the windows and the doors
To keep me safe, to keep me warm

Yeah, my life is what I'm fighting for
Can't part the sea, can't reach the shore
And my voice becomes the driving force
I won't let this pull me overboard

God, keep my head above water
Don't let me drown, it gets harder
I'll meet you there at the altar
As I fall down to my knees
Don't let me drown, drown, drown
Don't let me, don't let me, don't let me drown

So, pull me up from down below
'Cause I'm underneath the undertow
Come dry me off and hold me close
I need you now, I need you most

God, keep my head above water
Don't let me drown, it gets harder
I'll meet you there at the altar
As I fall down to my knees
Don't let me drown, drown, drown
Don't let me, don't let me, don't let me drown
Don't let me drown, drown, drown
Keep my head above water, above water

And I can't see in the stormy weather
I can't seem to keep it all together
And I, I can't swim the ocean like this forever
And I can't breathe

God, keep my head above water
I lose my breath at the bottom
Come rescue me, I'll be waiting
I'm too young to fall asleep

God, keep my head above water
Don't let me drown, it gets harder
I'll meet you there at the altar
As I fall down to my knees

Don't let me drown
Don't let me drown (don't let me don't let me don't let me drown)

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Needful Things ~ If You Need It

Greetings Dear Reader,

So, we come to the point.  Thank you for bearing with me as it took some time to get here.  Yes, we surely have genuine needs socially and emotionally.  We also do a fairly poor job of getting our needs met.

I think the action is the problem.  We are not supposed to try to meet our needs.  We are supposed to focus on the needs of others.  I realize that the popular culture is to pay attention to self-care and consider our wellbeing.  We may be hearing something that hurts more than it heals.

I am not saying that we should not rest when we need to rest.  I acknowledge that at times we need to heal and recover.  I do think that we tip the balance too far.  Let me give you the quote that got me started down this path.  First, however, a bit of syllogism.

Major Premise:

God will supply all that you need.

Minor Premise:

You have emotional needs.

Conclusion:

Therefore, God will supply all your emotional needs.

Here then, at last, is the quote: “Apparently, I do not need that relationship to be healed yet because it is not (healed). I want it, desire it but it is not yet a need because God meets all my needs.”  Read it again.  Ponder it for a moment.  If you really believe that all your needs are met by the Father, then this is a freeing truth.

Jesus asked us to follow in faith and assured us that all our needs would be met.  When he sent his followers out to spread the Good News, he told them not to worry about their needs.  I have seen him meet my physical needs for over two years when I could not.  He has also begun to meet my social and emotional needs on a level I could not imagine.

There are relationships that I long to see healed.  There are things in my heart that ache and sometimes hurt.  Jesus never promised that we would be pain-free.  He actually promised that one of the costs of following him is suffering.  He also promised that it is worth it.

All of the effort we spend trying to meet our needs or force relationships to work could be spent elsewhere.  If we move in the belief that our needs will be met then focusing on being loving, kind, and good to others can become our focus.  Following Christ can consume us.  When it does, our needs relative to the needs of others assume their proper place.

All of the emotions we put into demanding our own needs be met dampen our awareness of the needs of others.  They squelch our ability to be selfless and loving.  It is in setting aside our own selfishness that we gain the ground we need to reach others with needs.  All of the needs we long to be met will be met when they become needs.  Until then, I must focus on the needs of others and allow Jesus to be my only possession.  Dear Reader, it is in HIM that we live and move and have our being.  That is enough.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Needful Things ~ Do You Love Him, Her, Them?

Greetings Dear Reader,

You may wish to put on your shoes for this one.  I am not much of a dancer and my stepping on toes there sometimes translates to my communication of certain issues.  I, therefore, feel the need to give fair warning that what I am about to write may be painful.  I am not judging anyone but myself.  I am asking a hard question.  It is at the core of where I will conclude this series in the next couple of days.

I want you to ponder the political or social group you dislike or even hate, the most.  I want you to bring to mind that person that is either too conservative or liberal for you.  Please picture that family member who is outcast because he or she has violated this or that family value.  I have two questions for you. 

The first is, do you love him, her, or them?  I do not mean the simple “yes, I love everyone response”.  Do you actively purposefully love the people with whom you disagree or have a schism?  If you do not, then you have a more serious problem than you realize.  There is not a morally justifiable reason to fail to love others. 

Consider this:  What rational reason is there to deny anyone food, shelter, healthcare, and equal rights under the law?  If you are formulating an answer based on situations or some moral high ground you think you possess, please stop.  Those issues are essential to who we are as both Americans and, if we claim it, Christ followers.  Any time we deny the needs of others we violate the principals of both our Constitution and Jesus.

I will not continue to explain this point.  Instead here is my second question:  What do you do to show your love for those who have chosen as your political or social enemies.  Yes, I said chosen.  You and I are accountable for who we dislike, disavow, and hate.  We show our faith by what we do.  We show our love by treating everyone with kindness, compassion, and respect. 

The broken relationships in our family, community, and world are all a result of people failing to love each other no matter what their differences.  We have no excuse for failing to love unconditionally and without reservation.  It is a needful thing for everyone.  It is an obligation that everyone carries.

It is never allowable for me to marginalize anyone based on his or her values or politics.  If I hope to follow Christ at all, I must carry his love for everyone every moment.  You must do so as well Dear Reader.  If you do not share my faith, please hold us accountable to live the love that Christ commanded us to live as a foundation for everything else.  This is a needful thing.  I will take questions now.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Needful Things ~ Do You Love Me (Part II)?

Greetings Dear Reader,

I made an unplanned but compelled journey over the Memorial Day weekend.  I drove four hours to a place where I spent many summers during my younger years.  I often long for the ocean but this time I resisted going.  I talked myself out of it.  I rationalized how it was silly to do this on a “whim”.

Then, I was compelled.  I felt as if I had to go so, I went.  The drive there was lovely and the traffic was much lighter than I expected.  I arrived at the island with plenty of sun left in the day.  I drove to the best place I knew to park and change.  I made my way to the water.  The tide was running out and ripping along the bottom of the island coast.  I waded into the deep ravine made by the riptide, my legs straining against the current.

Instantly waist deep in the salty channel, I took a firmer stand.  My mind instantly flooded with dark memories of my summers there when I was younger.  That which compelled me to be here spoke again.  It said, “Immerse yourself in the current and let all those pains go out with the tide.  They no longer belong to you.  They are mine and you were not meant to carry them this far.”

I did.  I felt the release of so many years of pain and hurt that I had not even considered relative to this place.  It was here I was taught that I did not really matter.  It was here I felt the first surges of my darkest motivations.  This is where I learned that I was not the kind of guy girls liked, even when I was strong, tanned, and charming.  This was where I first got my heart broken by a girl and realized that neither of my parents cared to be there when I was hurting.  It was in this place that I killed my first marriage and saw the portents of death of my second.

There are too many memories and pains to enumerate.  There are too many weeks of moments where I was an afterthought, baggage, or the scullery servant.  I felt like an inconvenience most of my time there as a youth.  Then I rose out of the water.  I felt like every ounce of pain had been ripped away by the fast fleeting tide.  I left the pain behind, dried, and dressed.

Feeling lighter than usual in both heart and mind I treated myself to a seafood meal and a blazing sunset.  Then, as I made my way back to my current abode, my mind flooded with good memories of that place.  Driving through the night, I rehearsed the times where I learned, grew, and found joy in the journey.  I recalled moments where that small ocean town gave me things that would see me through darker times.

I still feel quite different.  There were other treats along the way.  There were other moments involving friends and love that were clearer.  That receding tide whipped away so much but left no void.  The waves brought back with it hope and a deeper understanding of the love that others need.

Everyone, even if they will never admit it, wants to be loved.  Too often, we employ unhealthy ways of demanding proof of that love.  We all do it in some way.  We place demands and expectations that are really just ways of asking the question, “Do you love me?”.   Too often we learn too late that this only drives away from us those who wish to love us.  Almost all of the things I have carried for so long are a result of poor handling of the need to be loved and know that we are loved. 

I posit this Dear Reader:  We must focus on giving love to others without expecting anything in return.  If we do, we will have all of the love we need.  That is the way that works; it is the way it must be.   We just have a little further to go to get to my big conclusion.  Ponder this for the day if you will.  Those relationships you think need healing will only heal through love.  If you are carrying anything else you must let the tide wash them away.  Let me know your thoughts if you wish.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Needful Things ~ Do You Love Me?

Greetings Dear Reader,

When Jesus’ friends abandoned his direction for them to spread the Gospel, he visited them.  They had returned to fishing for fish instead of men.  Peter jumps out of the boat to swim to see Jesus.  He also was greeted with a simple question.

Jesus has prepared a meal of fish and bread.  He asks Peter, “Do you love me?”  He then tells Peter to feed his sheep.  He asks and commands three times.  There are a couple of things to consider when we think about our emotional needful things here.

The first is to understand that one cannot feed sheep if one is fishing for fish in isolation in a boat on a lake.  Let that sink in for a moment.  One cannot spread the Gospel of Christ in a boat filled with other Christ followers.  If it sounds like I am alluding to the micro-communities of churches you get extra marks for being clever.  We cannot address the needful things of the world if we are in our church boats and unreachable by those who need us.  We cannot feed sheep from the isolation of our churches.

We cannot show love, kindness, and grace from isolation.  Remember how Jesus greeted them?   He prepared food for them.  He filled their nets with abundance.  He provided for their physical needs before he confronted them about their social and spiritual ones.  We cannot do that from our boats.  Jesus equates loving him to feeding his sheep.  In the act, he set the example. 

Our obligation is to love as Christ did.  If we will not be with those who need him and meet their needs then we dare not say we love him.  We dare not say we love anyone if we are blind to their needs.  So, I ask the question Dear Reader.  Do you love me?  There is no wrong answer as long as you are honest.  What about those you do not love or will not show love?  They too have needful things and Christ commands us to love them if we dare think we love him.  For those of you who do not share my faith, feel free to hold those who do accountable to this.  We will all be confronted by this question eventually.  The Stranger on the shore, Jesus, will ask, “Do you love me?”

Stranger on the Shore – Michael Card

In the early morning mist
They saw a Stranger on the seashore
He somehow seemed familiar
Asking what the night had brought
With taught anticipation then
They listen to His order
And pulling in the net
Found more than they had ever caught

The one He loved first recognized
The stranger there was Jesus
And he alone remembered
This had happened once before
The one who had denied Him
Who had once walked on the water
Jumped in and swam to Him
To be confronted on the shore

You need to be confronted
By the Stranger on the shore
You need to have Him search your soul
You need to hear the call
You need to learn exactly
What it means for you to follow
You need to realize that He's asking for your all

The meal He had prepared for them
Was waiting on the fire
The smell of bread
The sizzle of the fish upon the coals
The laughter and the joy
That once more being all together
They didn't realize that He was searching all their souls

Then came the painful questions
That would pierce the soul of Simon
A threefold chance to reaffirm the love he had denied
The gentle eyes that saw his heart
And waited for an answer
Had seen the look upon his face
The moment he had lied

You need to be confronted
By the Stranger on the shore
You need to have Him search your soul
You need to hear the call
You need to learn exactly
What it means for you to follow
You need to realize that He's asking for your all

Now realize that you must
Face and answer all His questions
As you stand before the Stranger
On the shore inside your heart

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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A Pause in Memorial

Greetings Dear Reader,

This will be brief and we will return to our regularly scheduled discussion tomorrow.  Today, however, it is vital that I pause to show my grief and gratitude.  Today must be solemn or we lost something mighty.

We do not have to be somber or sorrowful all day.  We do, however, have an obligation to remember those who have died so that we can have picnics, barbeques, and baseball.  I choose to honor today by this writing and the actions I will relate herein. 

First, I want you to think of those in active service and the veterans you know.  They want you to understand that today is not about them.  The best way to honor them today is to understand that men and women who wear or have worn the uniform have someone they knew to war.   Many were there when life ended for friends and comrades.  Honor our living military by honestly seeing that they are memorizing on a personal level. 

Second, be clear in your compassion for those who have lost loved ones who they memorialize today and every day.  We set aside a day for this.  Those who have lost service men and women live Memorial Day every day.  We must be gentle and loving with them today, and honor their loss every day. 

The celebrations and vacations are not wrong.  They must contain moments of remembrance and gratitude to be honorable and show gratitude.  Were it not for the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform we would likely not be free to enjoy our beaches, parks, and recreation.  Just letting that sink in is a good start to understanding Memorial Day Dear Reader. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Needful Things ~ Terrible Things

Greetings Dear Reader,

At some level, we all have suffered through something painful. Some of us have endured deep trauma and abuse.  We carry scars that no one sees.  We fight inner battles that we never discuss.

I recently told someone I love of my deepest darkest struggle.  The response was to recommend that I get medication.  This person canceled plans we had for later in the week and has not initiated a conversation with me since.  Except for my counselor I have never revealed this struggle to anyone else.  I was hoping for understanding and to build a closer relationship.  It is clear that the pain I have caused this person is too deep still.

That, however, Is not my focus.  My focus is on the common pain we share in our journey.  We have all been damaged in some way.   We fail to consider that others need our understanding often because we feel so little understood.  We compare our pain to the pain of others and decide we are more deserving of care or that we are not hurt enough to matter.  Comparison of hurt is deadly.  We must meet others where they are in their pain and accept that it is their hurt and not ours to judge.

No one is going to understand to our satisfaction if our goal is to cling to the pain.  If our true goal is to meet our need for healing then we can heal.  The problem is that we create a need for trauma and drama instead of working for a way out of it.  We become friends with the cold comfort of counsel and sympathy instead of embracing the love we are shown and letting it help.

We demand that people love us in ways that salve our hurt instead of in ways that promote healing.  Our use of pain relief opiates overtreatment that hurts but heals is such a mirror of how we are emotionally.   We want the pain salved instead of allowing the love of Christ to really heal us.  We cling to the past pain and miss out on the present joy that could be ours.

I am not going to pander to the past pain others carry.  I am going to love them and gently, kindly offer them a way out.  It is your choice Dear Reader.  We can look backward and tighten the choking tether of past pain whilst trying to move forward.  We can also choose to see that in this moment, and every other moment Jesus is there pleading his love for our every hurt and offering to heal our hearts.  I am choosing to understand that I need the healing but not in the method that I thought I did.

If you are asking how Dear Reader, we are almost there.  I am attempting to build this point by point.  We are needful when it comes to emotional healing.  It is not wrong to be this way.  It is wrong to cling to the pain and sorrow by holding on to the past.  We can find peace if we realize that it is there for us.  It sounds simple and perhaps puerile, but it is the truth.  Let me know if you need to talk about this Dear Reader.  I love you.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Needful Things ~ Genuine Needs

Greetings Dear Reader,

As I build toward my point, I do not want to ignore that we are individuals with genuine needs.  We have genuine physical, social, and emotional needs that are either satisfied or not.  The challenge comes when we feel our needs are not met.  It is irritating when we consider things as needs that are not.

For a very brief stretch of time, I was in a place where not just my needs were met but my whims were considered needs by those around me.  My attitude and actions were so selfish and inconsiderate that I rarely speak of that time.  It is shameful to consider what I can be when I do not view my needs in the proper perspective. 

I think that we increasingly do not distinguish well between wants and needs.  We want things desperately.  Some of them do not matter at all in the scheme of things.  Some of them are good wants but they are not needs.  We do not make our needs distinct from our wants.

It is not my place to tell you what your needs are or how to discern what is a want versus a need.  It is vital that I consider carefully what my genuine needs are and what are wants.  Further, I must make sure that even my wants fall in line with what is loving, kind, and good.

Christ promises to meet all of our needs.  The faith challenge comes when I think I have a need that is going unmet.  It is in that crucible that we can burn away our false needs and focus on what is good.  We must burn away the wants with this realization:  there are many things that go into the promise to meet all of our needs.

We are warned to distinguish clearly what we need.

We are required to ask for them to be met in faith.

We are obligated to follow continuously in faith even when we feel our needs are not met.

We are required to help meet the genuine needs of others when we can.

The foundation of this all is love and faith.  The place of that relative to our needs is simple and clear.  I need to only be clear in our definition of need and in our faith that those will be met.  It takes courage to abandon the title of need as it applies to things wish for deeply. 

As I reform much of my life, I find that need far less than I supposed I did for much of my life.  I also see that difference between want and need more clearly.  I want everyone to see that difference and focus on what is really needed.  It is one of the ways to make the path of our journey much clearer.

We cry out for the things we really need more loudly than we realize.  We struggle and rage for things that we think we need.  When we do, and they are not needs, we hold back the love and grace that is the foundation of getting our genuine needs met.  It comes down to this Dear Reader; the things we think will meet our needs often will not.

We pursue in vain the things that will not satisfy at the expense of things that surely will.  It is our choice to see this and make a change.  It is our price to pay if we do not.  Unfortunately, others can be swept up in that cost and harmed.  You and I, Dear Reader, can learn better and live better if we choose.  As we draw closer to the truth on this, I hope we find the tools and will to do so.

Sweet River Roll – Waterdeep

Homebound Henry's got a tumor in his head
He wakes up every morning after dreaming he was dead
He used to think that life was boring, but now that's not the case
He turns to his wife in the evening, he says "Honey I'm afraid I'm gonna lose this race."

Sweet River, roll all over me
Sweet River, roll all over me 

Soaking wet Juliet- she lives in a well full of tears
Her husband left her for some bimbo after twenty-two years

Now she's got to start all over, but she's just so terrified
She thinks it woulda been so much easier if he woulda just died 

Sweet River, roll all over me
Sweet River, roll all over me 

And I'm lookin out my car window sittin' in the pouring rain
Although your house is fifteen miles away, I can still feel your pain

I've thought and prayed and worked it through about a hundred times or more
How your soul just cries to everyone to help you get up off the floor

Right now, it's morning, you're probably totally unaware
Of the flood of kisses you hold back by the way that you despair

It ain't me I'm talking about here, or anybody else you can touch
That's all I want to say right now, I don't want to say too much 

Except …

Sweet Jesus, roll all over me
Sweet Jesus, roll all over me...

You gotta come down and just set me free

  

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

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Needful Things ~ Cold Pricklies

Greetings Dear Reader,

If you read The Original Warm Fuzzies Tale yesterday, you also learned about Cold Pricklies.   I capitalize this because it is evil enough to be considered a proper noun.  Which, by the way, is a very improper, proper noun.

We engage in the use of Cold Pricklies almost every day.  Whether it is family with whom we do not get along or coworkers we choose to tolerate, we offer pleasantries that are disingenuous.  We give passive hugs, offer untrue well-wishes, and even lie about the depth of our love to each other.

We think we are serving the social good by being polite.  It is good to be polite but when we are polite through gritted teeth, we are lying.  That is not good.  It is not that we should not be polite or kind or good to others.  It is that we must mean it. When we do not, we add lies to our failure to forgive others and love them unconditionally. 

It is not on others to be kind, easy to love, or good.  They should, but it is my obligation to love them genuinely no matter how they behave.  It is on me to be kind, loving, and forgiving no matter what someone else has done to me.  I must offer Warm Fuzzies at every opportunity.  I must never offer Cold Pricklies.  We forget that we are not liked or loved by everyone.  We do not want it to be true but it is.

We are required to love everyone.  All of our congress with other humans is to proceed from and find its power in this source.  When we offer any pleasantry that does not grow out of our love for others, then we are passing out Cold Pricklies.   You may offer any argument you wish fur you must first consider why you would wish to do so.  Any argument against being motivated by love must be wrapped in hypocrisy and faithlessness.  Jesus would not ask us to love disingenuously.  He requires us to love everyone.

 I and others have offered the venomous lie, “I have to love him but I do not have to like him.”  The question I must ask is, “who does it serve to dislike someone?”  The answer is that it is always self-serving and, therefore, wrong,  I get not liking habits, practices, or personalities.  That does not mean that we have to dislike the person.  We choose to dislike members of our family, coworkers, and strangers.  When we have congress with them, we often lie about our kindness to them.  Outside we are pleasant and socially proper.  Inside we are enduring and tolerating when we should be loving and hoping.

Love hopes, bears, and believes ALL things.  Cold Pricklies are the lies we offer to hide our failure to love.  We must be better than this Dear Reader.  Think about your interactions and you will find where they are fake.  I need to fix mine.  I will work at it, but please be confident that I love you, genuinely, fully, and without regret.  What are your thoughts on this?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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