Happy Christmas Dear Reader,
Some years ago, a friend gave me perhaps the most beautifully
wrapped gift I have ever seen. The paper
was heavy foil wrapping with wreaths made of roses and small trees to accent. The ribbon and bow were the same gold as the
trim on the wreaths and trees. The
present looked more like a catalog entry than a real thing. My words do not do justice to the effort put
into creating such a beautiful package.
It was not lost on me that this beauty was created for the
purpose of being destroyed. It was a moment
in time captured by someone with skill in wrapping gifts far beyond mine. I heard this person express that she takes so
much effort to wrap gifts because it shows that she cares. Obviously, the effort was not wasted as I was
very impressed.
Still, it makes me wonder about how much effort we put into
things. As much as I loved the wrapping
and the gift it contained, I later in the day overheard that same person say something
very unkind about me to someone else. It
began a practice for me that I wish to pass on so that I may help in carrying
Christmas in our hearts.
As I alluded before, I am terrible at wrapping gifts. It is a skill that I have never mastered. What I do instead is seriously ponder the
person as I wrap the gift. I search my
mind for anything that I may hold against him or her to assure that I have forgiven
anything that may be between us. I pray
for that person specifically as I cut paper with no hope of a straight line,
fold irregular corners, and apply miles of tape. I ponder the things I love about that person
that caused me to choose the gift.
You may wonder how this translates into carrying Christmas the
entire year. If we put into practice
intentional forgiveness, awareness of the value others to the Father, and needs
that person may have, we can begin to do this in every endeavor. I spent some hours wrapping gifts yesterday. I found thoughts about the people for whom I prepared
the gifts pleasant and exciting. Many of
us will be trying to get those last items wrapped and ready today and
tomorrow. Perhaps being intentional
about our thoughts for others during this time will bring us more peace 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 ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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