Greetings Dear Reader,
The natural way of
things is to look out for ourselves and neglect others to do so. The nature of humans is to get their wants
and needs met. When I say this, I
include my own motivations and desires.
The narrow path,
however, can be learned through honesty and discipline. Let us return to the understanding of our
hard deck. We are to love the Father
with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are to love others as the Father loves
them. Last night someone asked me how we
live that out practically.
My answer helped
clarify the natural versus the narrow path for me. The narrow path is to see the love of the
Father in every situation. It is to choose
to let that be the focus. Here is the
example I gave my friend.
When sitting in a restaurant
waiting to be served, I consider the things in front of me. There is cutlery rolled in a napkin with that
little paper tape around it. I have also
have a large cup of Diet Coke. How do I
show my love for the Father in that moment?
In that space, it begins with my thoughts and their attunement toward
gratitude and grace.
First, let us consider
the rolled bundle of cutlery. I unwrap
it. As I do, I recognize that hardworking
servers have to roll those bundles as part of their “side work” during their
shift. That neatly rolled knife and fork
in that napkin are the product of a server creating a certain number of them at
the beginning or end of her shift. If I
am going to focus on loving the Father, I have to express gratitude for the
work that goes into that small convenience.
Further, a dishwasher
made sure that the knife and fork were clean.
Someone ordered quality napkins to roll them in and the paper band used
to seal them and create an air of fancy.
I like to play with the paper bands.
It is gratitude and love that are to be my focus.
My drink, a Diet
Coke with no ice and a slice of lime, was delivered exactly as I requested
it. Sometimes, due to the automatic nature
of putting ice in a beverage glass, this is not true. I think grateful thoughts that our server is
attentive and accurate. I take a moment to
pray for her wellbeing. I watch as she
attends other tables. I can see how busy
she is and make sure that we are all ready to order so we do not cause her to
make extra trips. It is in this
intentional observance of what is going on around us that we show love to the
Father
Loving the Father
with all that we are is the narrow way of painting a very broad stroke. That stroke is capturing every thought,
action, attitude, and emotion to serve his desire that we love all that he has
made. When the server does not get the drink
right, my response must be one of kind patience. When the food is not right, one does not blame
the server.
Commands such as
the one to think of others better than ourselves are not to demean us. They exist to teach us to narrow our focus to
loving others so that we are unoffendable.
It is letting the things that come at us be met with our impenetrable armor
of love and faith. In recognizing that
we can capture every thought to direct it toward love for the Father, we can
then live out a life of walking the narrow path of love for our fellow
travelers.
This is my sole
intent. I fail every single day at some
point. I do, however, determine to reset
my thinking each time I do and work toward building loving kindness and being
lovingly unoffendable. It is hard. It requires discipline. It is, however, the most peaceful thing I
have ever done Dear Reader. You are
always welcome to join me in the effort.
I treasure your presence as we travel together.
Another turning
point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time
It's something
unpredictable, but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life
So take the
photographs and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while
It's something
unpredictable, but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life
It's something
unpredictable, but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life
It's something unpredictable, but in the end, it's right
I hope you had the time of your life
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:
#aramisthorn
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