Greetings Dear Reader,
There is a joke told about René Descartes, the seventeenth-century philosopher. He was sitting in a coffee shop and the
waitress asked him if he would like a cup of coffee. He said, “I think not,” and disappeared. If you do not get this, the joke is that
Descartes is the one who posited that “I think, therefore, I am.”
We have spent some
time on the idea of how what we think is what we become. We do not need to revisit that now but from
it springs the idea that there is an eternal transaction going on in the
mind. We constantly create who we are by
what we think. There is a flow of
thought that determines how we feel.
Then we act on our thoughts and feelings.
At the center of
this process is a maelstrom. The war for
our self-image has no ceasefires or détente.
The transactions become more automated through the process of accepting
either victory or defeat. In either case, we choose to win or lose the battle for our own value.
Yesterday I was
besieged by thoughts of discouragement that wanted me to accept their terms and
surrender to the idea that “my dreams are for dreaming and best left that
way.” I had errands to run but my mind
pushed me to give up on them and accept instead that transaction of hopeless
sitting and sulking. It offered this up
as a solution to the thoughts that were trying to discourage me.
I chose to refuse
the transaction. I chose to run my
errands and do what I needed to do to keep moving forward. I worked on capturing the discouraging
thoughts and making peace with them. I
felt sad and lonely but the feelings were not allowed to be in control. I sang a song that always makes my woeful
heart cheered.
As I was preparing
to check out, I heard my name called by a voice I knew right away. It was a new but dear friend. She saw right away that I was not myself and
spent a few of her precious free moments encouraging me. The transaction between us, offered by and
founded in our love for Christ, gave me courage and a reminder that God sees
how I feel and cares.
I finished my
shopping, picked up some dinner, and headed to my apartment. I had just completed my meal when my mind
again offered me the transaction of discouragement. I had plans for the evening that were foiled
by the absence of the things I needed to accomplish them. Then my phone informed me I had a text
message.
Avalon sent the
following, “You are on my mind. I hope
all is well with you.” Immediately, I smiled.
I responded honestly that God is good because I was not but her text
made me smile. She called and we talked
for an hour. It lifted me out of my
transactional battle.
Twice my inner being
tried to draw me into discouragement. Twice
I chose to do what is right and fight the darkness. In both instances, after I made the choice,
the Father sent someone to remind me that I am loved and not alone in the
journey. We can have détente with our
existence if we choose to. We have to
refuse the discouraging transactions Dear Reader. We must choose to be at peace within. Let me know if you need the
encouragement. I am always grateful for
yours.
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:
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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