Greetings Dear Reader,
I am in the process of purchasing a couple of major
things. The first is that I am looking
to buy a very specific motorhome without going into debt. If each of you who read my blog bought a
printed copy of Sheetrock
on the Road, I could do that. The
second is a new laptop, as mine is aging and reminding me that it is time for
it to retire. For those of you who pray,
Dear Reader, I would ask that you do so on my behalf regarding these things.
When buying these kinds of items, individuals often neglect
to count the total cost of owning what they wish to own. It is never the computer that has a great
cost. It is the new software that can
often be more expensive. Since the
motorhome will become my permanent home, I am spending a great deal of time
counting the total cost of owning one and becoming nomadic in my
lifestyle.
In measuring out the cost of our transactions, we evaluate
the value of things. We often fail, however,
to evaluate the total cost of ownership (TCO).
When I am angry or bitter, I usually do not consider what that does to
my digestion, nervous system, or blood pressure. I also do not ponder what it will cost to
stay angry. I do not always realize that
in the bitter transaction I will be paying for it long after the event.
The TCO of things that are negative is never fully
seen. They are not readily counted. We do see the long-term impact on
others. Holding on to anything that is
not good harms us. It is also costly to
wield love, forgiveness, and mercy. It
is expensive to deal in grace.
I would not try to deceive you by saying that the cost of
forgiveness and mercy are not very great.
The difference is that it also keeps going. The TCO is that we are better off. We can heal and become stronger. The TCO of love is everything. It has to be unconditional. We must give up our own wants and
expectations to truly love others.
The difference is that with love as the foundation of our
transactions, we are free from guilt, shame, and bitterness. We do not have to carry the weight of the
things others set upon us. We do not
have to be a part of a process that keeps demanding fees in the form of our
physical and mental health.
The journey is difficult but we are not required to carry
the things that harm us. We are not supposed
to keep paying for the wrong we have done.
We are not allowed to require others to keep paying for their transgressions. We are not supposed to keep trying to pay for
things we cannot redeem.
Grace and mercy exist to free us from the payments
constantly demanded by guilt, shame, and anger.
Christ paid the debt and requires me to forgive, love, and restore
anything I can. You see, his total cost
of ownership is that he died for my debt.
He paid my penalty and freely gave me the opportunity to follow him,
debt free. The TCO of following is
simple. It is everything, but he
promises to provide that as well.
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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