The Courage to Love ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

It is simple.  Love everyone.  It is not easy and we do not come out even.  It requires that we sacrifice all.  It is also the most precious thing we have.  Even though it is precious we are supposed to give it away.

Instead of a long summary for this part of our conversation I am going to make some clear affirmations for my own sake. 

• I am going to work at building everything I do on love for God.
• I am going to work at building everything I do on love for others.
• I am going to love you no matter what the cost.
• I am going to love those who hate me.
• I will start with kindness in every situation.
• I will allow myself to be loved.
• I will not expect others to be loving.

If we all did this the world would change.  There would still be wrong and evil.  There would still be hunger and medical need.  The world, however, would be better.  What the world needs is love; “no not just for some but for everyone.”

I am not being an idealistic dreamer.  It can work.  Every objection you might raise is another reason to love more.  Let me know your thoughts Dear Reader.  I love you and treasure your company.

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 ͡°)

The Courage to Love ~ It Ain’t Easy

Greetings Dear Reader,

We have all heard people say, “If it was easy everyone would do it.”  We do not consider how true this is when it comes to loving others.  The cost is high.  It is not easy.  We do not come out even in the exchange.

The cost of loving others leads to the emptying of self.  It requires that we put our own interests aside.  It demands that we develop a thicker skin without becoming hard-hearted.  It means that our wants are supplanted by the needs of others.  It means that we may have to have faith and patience for our own needs to be met. 

The courage to love is not easy because it demands all of us.  We want to follow Christ but we do not like the idea that it is all-consuming.  It requires us to lay down our lives and take up a cross.  This is the ultimate expression of love.  It is why it is not easy.  We do not want to give up the life we want.  We do not desire to lose everything to gain this one thing.

It is not easy.  It costs more than we are willing to pay.  It is, however, the one thing that gains us everything.  Even that is a difficult wager.  I must risk everything that I want to gain that which is intangible.  I must be at peace with this. I must live this in every moment.  It is not supposed to be easy because the rewards are great.  When others betray me, it is worth it.  When love is not reciprocated, that is not the measure.  When I am ill-used or taken advantage of because of my love that does not justify abandoning love.

If I am to follow then my only abiding fuel is love.  That is the reward and worth it at any cost.  It is not easy but great things never 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 ͡°)

The Courage to Love ~ Counting the Cost

Greetings Dear Reader,

We have established there is a sacrifice involved in love.  We know there is always cost involved in loving others.  It is only wise to count that cost.  It is only prudent to understand what we sign up for going into the mix.

The cost involved in loving others may be one of the highest costs there is.  Let us look at the vows we make for marriage as an example.  We promise to love for better or worse unless it becomes worse than we imagined.  We promise for richer or poorer unless we do not live the status we want.  Even the sickness or health problem becomes conditional.

That is the problem.  We place conditions on our love for others.  We do not limit to marriage the ways in which we limit our commitment to love.  We love others unless they cross some objective line we create.  It is the creation of that line that is a problem.

The cost of loving others means that we cannot have lines that limit our choice to love.  If they disagree with our social or political views they are still worthy of love.  If they have faith that differs from ours we are still required to love.  If they cut us off in traffic we must love them.  The cost is that we set aside everything. 

Our pride, possessions, and wants are all the cost of loving others.  Everything material and marginal is subject to being surrendered to loving others.  All of our choices indicate our wiliness to love.  I must not hold on to anything that hinders my ability to love others.  It is how we destroy each other.  I must be willing to do anything for love; face any rejection, make any sacrifice, and have the courage to love no matter what it takes.  That is the cost of love.    

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 ͡°)

The Courage to Love ~ Love Withheld

Greetings Dear Reader,

We all know that person who acts indifferent toward others when he or she is angry.  We all know someone who makes it clear that showing kindness or love is conditional on his or her approval.  I am not sure why we make this choice but it is one of the many ways in which we withhold love.

It takes courage to step through our own interests and show love to others.  It takes more effort to use withholding love as a way to control others.  That is what we do when we refuse to be loving to others.  We control, manipulate, and indulge our own interests.  We send a clear message that love is conditional and must be earned.  We put people in the position of having to please us in order to feel accepted.  There is no love in this.  There is no courage in it either.

It takes courage to set aside our power and control to show love to others.  The courage to love beyond our need to protect our own interests is the kind of love that others need.  It is the kind we need to give as well.  When we step past our interests to love others we wield a mighty force. 

The power of love over any other emotional force amazes me.  The more often I show love the more often I am convinced that it is the right path to follow.  It takes courage to set aside the self and risk loving others but it seems to always be worth it.

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 ͡°)

The Courage to Love ~ A Conscious Choice

Greetings Dear Reader,

Courage is defined as the ability to do something that frightens one or to have strength in the face of pain or grief.  When faced with fear, pain, grief, or any combination thereof we make choices.  The same is true of choosing to love others.

We have been hurt, sometimes so deeply it feels debilitating.  We feel the pain of loss or abandonment.  We remember what it cost us to love and how much it hurt to have that love betrayed.  The pain of loss and grief can stay with us our entire lives.  I know that there are losses that I have not entirely gotten past.

No matter the source of the loss or pain connected to love, it takes courage to love.   There is risk of the pain or sorrow repeating.  We are in danger when we love so it takes courage. We must make a conscious choice to face the danger; to take the risk.

The risk to love is always worth it.  I speak as someone who has been deeply hurt.  I have been abandoned and betrayed.  I have had my honest attempts to be loving to others trampled on by anger and malice.  No hurt is too deep to not try again.  No pain is too intense to risk not risking love.

We must choose to “screw our courage to the sticking place.”  We must make the conscious choice to love others no matter how much it hurts.  I must do this with everyone.  Anything I say or do that is not motivated by my love for others is just empty action and useless noise.

I must think and act with intent.  I must choose to love in thought and action always.  It is in this that I perfect my motives and strengthen my courage.  I will still get hurt.  I will still face rejection and betrayal.   I will also reap the great benefits found in loving others whatever the cost.

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 ͡°)

The Courage to Love ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

It may be that the ultimate risk for humans is to love.  I think about this much more often than I realize.  We risk so much when we love others.  The possibility of rejection and the fear of not being loved play in our minds.  It takes real courage to love others.

I suppose that when I think about this it is on two fronts.  One is when I am focused on showing love to others and one is when I am hurting.   The former is how I try to set my sails daily.  It is the in and out of the day that produces the latter.  It is the ebb and flow of life that feeds how I feel about loving others.

As I have said many times, that is not what gets to determine my love for others.  That is not what must guide me in being good to others and showing them genuine love.  There are times, however, when it takes real courage to love.  From where then does that courage come?  What kind of courage does it take?  How do I rise to the challenge to love in the most difficult situations?

I will never consider setting aside this powerful weapon in the battle for good.  I did that once and it has marked me forever.  I do need to think through what sustains my love for others.  I do need to mark the sources of my courage to take this great risk.  I could use some company whilst I do that.  Your thoughts and questions are always welcome 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 home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Courage in the Moment

Greetings Dear Reader,

It is ever increasing that I encounter people who openly speak against Christians.  It runs a gamut from dismissive rejection to virulent hatred.  People openly generalize about those who follow Christ in a way that is rejected as generalization for other groups of people.

People call us ignorant, racist, and hateful.  They use the worst examples of poor Christ followers to paint us all.  The poor example are there.  We must answer for that.  I say also that were I to apply the same paint to any other sect I would be an ignorant hateful racist.  So in a world where the tide is against those who follow Christ what am I to do?

I am required to have courage.  I am required to love no matter what.  I am expected to rise above whatever is said about Christ followers and live an example that proves it wrong. 

Sometimes courage is easier than others.  Sometimes the situation or the source of the hatred makes being courageous difficult.  At times the courageous thing to do is be silent.  I must not do harm to be right.  I must not argue or disrespect others to be right.  I must through love and example communicate the Gospel.

I must learn when to speak and when to be silent.  I must renew that learning daily.  I must follow in faith that I was warned. I was warned that following Christ is not safe.  It does not promise that I will be loved for it. 

There are days when I do not understand why the Father does not intervene.  I must remember that it is up to him.  I must remember that I do not know all that he does.  Faith is the thing that sustains courage.  Faith in the moment yields courage for the moment.  That’s the way that it works.  It’s the way it must be.

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 ͡°)