Never Apart ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have struggled with loneliness my entire life.  I have always tried to keep those I love close to me.  Instead of building closer ties as I wished it created resentment because of my unrecognized neediness. 

The Forgiven - Thomas Blackshear

If I believe what I say I believe then I have some things that can help.  I can be better at being father and a friend if I employ some truths that I have never really embraced.  The first is that the Father will be a father to me if I let him.  He will care for me as a beloved little child.  He understands my cared and woes and even in my loneliness he will teach me how to see him and his presence.

The second is more personal in an informational sense but also vital.  I know that all of my children have had real faith and been doing their best to follow Christ at some point in their lives.  This means that even if I am never with them again in this life that there is hope.  Our time here is so brief and all I care about is this:  I want their hearts to heal.

I have prayed for years that the Father would do whatever was needed to draw them back to him.  This last year I have been praying that the Father could do whatever he wished to me to do the same.  I want to warn you Dear Reader that this is a dangerous prayer.

My life has only one constant left in it.  It is teaching me that the Father is always there.  He is showing me that my children are really his and that he will deal with them as he needs to in order to draw them back.  In the mean time he has decided to teach me how to be alone and that even then they are never parted from me.

He has put things in my mind and heart that I thought I could never accept.  It is hard, painful, and terrifying at times.  It is also awakening old dreams that are good and more connected to following Christ.  I am still a lonely soul but I am learning how to be alone.  As I prepare my heart to deal with the holy days with less family presence than I like I am comforted with the understanding that they are with me even when they are a million light years away.  We are connected in Christ and he moves in all of us to bring all things back to good.

I hope this thought helps you Dear Reader.  It is more for my benefit as always but you too, are someone I love and value.  I wish I could be with you more.  We all need to remember that eventually we will not longer be parted.  We will no longer be lonely and afraid.  Accepting that brings more comfort than I ever thought.   

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 home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Never Apart ~ Ultimate Unity

Greetings Dear Reader,

I am apart from most of the people I love right now.  It is a necessary part of the journey for me to become a better man.  I have never learned how to be alone.  The pain in this dark passage is acute.  It is, however, also teaching me.

The truth is that I have to learn that I am never alone.  The Father is trying to teach me how to truly trust in him to care for ALL my needs.  He wishes for me to be dependent upon him like a little child. 

If we all do not learn this then the other relationships in our lives suffer.  If I am alone, the Father will be with me.  If someone refuses to interact with me, the Father is working in them as well to heal and harness their hearts.  The only real unity we can have is in Christ and following him.  It may be that his command to seek the righteousness and kingdom of God first applies not just to food and clothing but to every single thing we desire. 

The little child image follows through here as well.  If I have a need as a little child I seek a parent no matter what that need is.  We forget that this is how we pursue everything in following Christ.  If I do not engage in this ultimate unity then all other attempts at common unity with others will be flawed. It is in seeking unity in the Spirit that I will find it with those I love.  If this is what we all do then our failures do not get in the way as easily.

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 home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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This BLOG:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

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Never Apart ~ Those Who are Distant

Greetings Dear Reader,

Because of my sin and yours Dear Reader there are people who are not as close to us relationally as they once were.  They or we have chosen to limit communication, proximity, and showing love to that individual.  We build our own walls and try to scale over or tunnel under the walls built by others.  We create a world of denial by believing that this is tenable and sustainable.

This becomes even more difficult when we face the times we have dedicated to celebrating with family and those who are distant come to mind.  During times of gratitude, giving, and joy we choose to isolate those we claim to love.  We put them in a box and seal it away with beautiful bows and decorations.  We tell ourselves that this is right and good.

It is all a lie.  The promises of love and loyalty linger.  The requirement to be good to everyone includes being faithful to the relationships we promise to sustain.  Yes, we have been hurt.  It is true that we carry pain from the past.  We cannot ever be honest if we say that we have left behind our obligations to those we claim to love. 

What we have really done is decided that their sin is worse than ours.  We choose that they are unworthy of our love, kindness, and loyalty.  We may be ignoring them.  We may have “ghosted” the person socially.  In truth, however, we are never free from them. 

Our obligation to live in peace with all people, especially those who are part of us lingers in us.  We may do unthinkable things to be cut off from it but it is there.  Especially for people who believe as I do, we have a bond that transcends our own thinking and feelings.  We are required to SHOW love to each other; not simply say that we love them and ignore our place in their lives.

We say we separate to heal and to be safe.  We refuse to see that the healing only can come if we do all that we can to draw closer to Christ together.  So, as I face the onset of this season that is so holy to me I am trying to mend my ways relative to someone I have cut off.  I ask Dear Reader that you consider doing the same.  The Father can protect you from the heartache if you focus on him.  The armor he provides is sufficient.  The love we can wield is so powerful.  We cannot be truly parted from anyone who is a part of us.  We must seek peace, restoration, and harmony or our proclamations of love become a lie. 

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 home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Never Apart ~ Focus

Greetings Dear Reader,

This Christmas will be odd for me.  I face being away from many that I am used to seeing.  When I place so much of my celebration of the day on family this proves to be daunting in simply pondering it.  Add to that the possibility that Thanksgiving may be the same and it doubles the potential difficulty for me.

The must-dos and conclusions will have to wait until closing on this one but there is groundwork that needs laying.  What I do need to consider is that there are many that will have it worse that I will.  There are those who spend all of the holy days alone when they would prefer not to do so.  I am not gong to be alone but I will be in a different situation than I have been.

It drives home for me that I need to begin now to look at what I do have.  It is my obligation to focus on what is real about these days.  It is my responsibility to remember that the emphasis is to be on gratitude and celebration.  It is not time to mourn what I wish was true.  It is time to see what is there to count as a blessing. 

As I build toward the conclusion of this short journey, I must remember that I control so little of what happens.  I cannot make things the way I wish them to be.  I can control my heart, mind, and attitude so that I focus on love, gratitude, and celebration of the beautiful things that are.

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 home owner. 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

This BLOG:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

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Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

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Never Apart ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of the things on which we begin to focus as we turn toward the closing of the year is family.  In many ways we have reduced holy days to family days.  All Hallows Eve is about kids and candy to many.  Thanksgiving often revolves around family, football, and fighting for bargains.  I have heard many say that Christmas is about time with family.  None of this is bad as long as it does not exclude the purpose intended in the observations. 

Facing the holy days this year with family that is fragmented and far flung has me pondering what I can do to focus on the purpose and keep my heart concerning those I love.  I tend to worry too much over proximity and time.  Currently I cannot do much about either of those things.  I need to think through how I am going to honor my family and still respect their wishes and needs.

There are some mental disciplines that I need to adopt in any case.  Perhaps something so important to me is a good place to test them.  We are so often in situations where we cannot be with those we love.  Whether it is though wrong doing, life choices, or circumstances outside of our control we face separation from those with whom we wish to be.

If we dare to love others it is the Kobayashi Maru of our relationships.  (“The Kobayashi Maru is a training exercise in the fictional Star Trek universe designed to test the character of Starfleet Academy cadets in a no-win scenario.”)  To paraphrase Captain Kirk, how we face separation is at least as important as how we face togetherness.  How we deal with each other when we cannot be together reveals our priorities concerning others.

Since I am facing this on a scale both beyond my heart and outside of my understanding, I must examine how I am going to walk through it.  I must figure out what matters.  I must be aware of how these things will impact me and order my thoughts so that I deal with them well. 

In this bit of the journey I expect there to be much sorrow and heartache.  Please walk with me Dear Reader.  Being prepared to deal with it can make things better for us and for those we love.  Please let us reason together on how we can be sure to be the best we can be when separated from each other. 

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 home owner. 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

This BLOG:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

Novels on Amazon             

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

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Twitter            Medium    

Kids BLOG