Natural versus Narrow ~ Past Paths

Greetings Dear Reader,

There are turning points in my past that I would change if I could.  I imagine how things would be were I to have gone right instead of left.  I work out beautiful endings that would be if I had only made a better choice.  I increasingly realize what a waste of creativity that is.

If we keep with the metaphor of travel, I recall a vignette from a dear friend of mine.  When he was young his family had a regular vacation spot at the beach.  It was a six-hour drive from his home to the beach where they would take long summer breaks.  It was a great time for his entire family.

One year, as the family headed toward vacation, his mother became convinced that she had left the iron on, laying on the ironing board.  She told his father who reassured her that it was not on and that all would be well.  It is important to note that the family was already two hours down the road toward their destination.

My friend watched his parents argue.  His dad offered to call the person caring for the family cat and have the iron thrown into the yard.  This was not good enough.  Fully frustrated, the dad turned the family van around and headed the two hours back to home.   The iron was not on but it did get a final resting place in the back yard.  My friend related that he developed a life-long aversion to irons that day.

We make mental and physical choices every day that are the next step in life.  We choose them for good or ill.  The difficulty is that we allow the wrong ones to hold us prisoner for far too long.  The past has power and it is supposed to have it.  The difficulty is that we give it the wrong power and too long a lease in our minds.

The purpose of the past is to serve as a reminder of blessings, lessons, and to be a prologue to what is ahead.  Regrets should be momentary and fleeting; dismissed by the truth of forgiveness and focus on the future.  The other improper power we give the past is that we carry false guilt that is never ours to carry. 

The past is there to teach us but is not supposed to harm us.  No matter who else tries to use it to do so, Christ wishes us to journey by grace in freedom from the past.  As we travel, we are not supposed to try and retrace paths we can never find again.  We are instead supposed to learn from them so that we make the right choices on the path ahead. 

As we travel together, Dear Reader, let us agree that we will not use the past to harm ourselves or each other.  We will not measure people by their history but by where they are in the story of Christ.  We can journey forward without guilt and shame.  We can be free to love others and be lovingly unoffendable by those who would use the past to harm us.  We can forgive more deeply and fully.  Our burden will be lighter and there will be more joy to share.  I am in and I hope you are 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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Natural versus Narrow ~ Highway or Byway

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have on two occasions traveled a great distance on US Highways instead of the interstate.  One was a motorcycle trip up old US 19 from Georgia to Erie, Pennsylvania.  I was not in a hurry and young enough to not care about the weather or sleeping niceties. 

It is still my favorite long drive that I have taken.  I hope to someday produce something worth reading from the journey.  I have notes of the adventure and the lessons I learned along the way.  What made it great was being forced to see my travel at a leisurely pace.

I love driving and I love long distances.  There is usually not time to take the byways and so I stick to the highways.  I am working at living a life that allows more roads less taken.  The point is that if we are willing to invest the time, the narrow path has more to offer than the highway.

We get to highways via the byways.  At some point, we choose to leave the narrow road for the broad fast path.  At some juncture, we realize that it is the narrow way that holds the most for us.  If we define the narrow way as following Christ, and his prime directive is love, then how can we hope to find better on another path?

The natural desire is to follow a broader and easier way.  If, however, our narrow path is to love others in every act, there unfolds from that infinite possibilities.  There are so many adventures available if we make the journey about the travel and not the destination.

We are not ignorant of our destination but the things we are supposed to do are involved in the travel.  The opportunities to voluntarily show love, give hope, and evidence faith are here.  Once we arrive at the destination of our pilgrimage, there will be no need for hope or faith.  Love will be the way of all paths there.   It is then, my obligation to choose the byway of love over the highway of self every time. 

Every stop along the way has the potential to touch the heart of a fellow traveler.  Each encounter is the opportunity to deliver hope and entice faith in others through love.  If the byway we travel is only love, it blocks out everything that would distract others from finding faith and hope.  It puts us in the right place at every turn of the journey.

I have been so captive from my dreams by my own choices that I have failed to walk the narrow byway often.  I am rebuilding everything about my journey so that I can follow the path of love more fully and consistently.  I want to spend my remaining days encouraging others to do the same.  I want them to reach for the path that is only theirs.  I want to use love to give them faith and hope to follow their byway, their dreams.  If you will journey with me, Dear Reader, we can do it together and make the pilgrimage all the more delightful.

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

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

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Natural versus Narrow ~ Change and Choices

Greetings Dear Reader,

I visited a glen that I have not seen in twenty years.  I went there to pray for a friend.  The change in it was drastic but it was still open enough to see the sky.  It is still winter and the ground is damp from perpetual rain.   Come Spring the ground will be filled with wild daffodils. 

The trees surrounding the place are taller.  An old ash tree has fallen or been felled by the wind.  The place seems still undiscovered by other humans.  There is one spot where a large animal, likely a deer, takes rest often.  I spent my time in the glen I call Daffodils praying under the sunny sky, thankful that it was still here and relatively undisturbed.

On the drive back, I was pondering the changes.  I spent my time thinking that I was thankful that none of the many changes had transformed the place into something different from my very fond memories.  There were many firsts and lasts in this place long ago.  Then it occurred to me that the thing in that glen that was the most changed was me.

When I grew to love that place, I was making bad choices based on changes beyond my control.  I was allowing the changes to change me in ways that were not healthy and deviated from the path I am supposed to walk if I hope to follow Christ well.  My faith was intact but my following became poor due to my failure to control how the changes transformed me.

My crisis back then arose out of the mounting pain of events that had piled up on my mind and spirit.  My failure was that in the midst of all the changes coming at me, I did not control how those things altered me.  I allowed my heart and mind to follow the path that seemed most comforting to me instead of choosing the narrow path that would be the most beneficial.

Things that we cannot control happen and they change us, Dear Reader.  What we can control is how they change us.  What we can choose is our response to the changes.  When pain and loss assail us, we can still follow in faith.  We can choose to stay on that narrow path that is love for all others. 

I am privileged to see a friend who is in the midst of a storm of change handling those changes by following Christ at a closer pace.  Choosing how the changes have impact and change him/her make all the difference.  This is the nexus in which we must live if we are to follow faithfully.  This is where I am choosing to be and must remain. 

When Job lost almost everything in a day, he chose that the changes would change him into a man of deep faith and more devout love for the Father.  Please, Dear Reader, let us encourage each other into the same narrow choice as we are changed into that which we must become.  I am resolved to do this and treasure your company as we continue the journey home together.  What do you say?

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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Natural versus Narrow ~ Good for Bad

Greetings Dear Reader,

Yesterday morning, after writing my BLOG, I had an hour before I needed to get dressed for church.  I chose to work on the novel that is currently my focus for creation.  There is another in rewrite and one in final edit.  Within minutes I hit my writing stride and the words were flowing as fast as I could move my fingers.

Humming along through dialog between two of my primary characters, I was abashed when my phone reminded me it was time to get ready.  I paused, typed out one more interchange, and then stopped.  The boys in the basement kept churning out the dialogue.  I captured another half page. 

Then my mind began to mess with me.  It suggested, “You know, writing is an act of worship for you.  You could stay here and keep writing.  You do not HAVE to go to church to worship.”  I looked at the clock and compromised.  I pondered that if I was in the shower in fifteen minutes, that I could get there in time to pray for the worship team and still be there for church. 

The words and the time sped by.  My mind whispered, “Look how good it is going.  Just remain here and write.  God will understand.”  Then I realized what was happening.  You see, I had a commitment to some people at church.  I needed to be there to keep that commitment.  I saved my work, made a few brief notes, and dressed for church.

There were no fireworks or choirs of angels lauding my choice.  Rather, there was a clear understanding that it is possible to do good things for the wrong reason.  It does not matter how clever my dialogue is if it is written because I am avoiding my obligations in other areas.  I spent most of the day writing and the pace and ease were still there. 

It is a natural thing to keep going when we are on pace.   It is the narrow thing to break our stride for the needs of others.   If I believe that my writing is an act of worship, then I must believe as well that it will be what it is supposed to be at the right times.  Even writing requires my faith that the Father is working it all out as it should be.

As we walk the narrow path home, Dear Reader, we must manage our inner dialogue so that it speaks to what is right even when choosing between two things that are good.  It is always good and right to share this journey with you.

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

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon          

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Natural versus Narrow ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

When I was a lad, I loved exploring my Grandfather’s farm.  There was a broad path that led to the area of the wood where he would fell trees for firewood.  He would carefully choose the tree, cut it down, and leave it lay for a week.

His purpose, as he explained it, was to allow the “critters time to find a new home.”  He would then take the tractor out after the aforementioned week.  His tools were an ax, a chainsaw, and chains.  His goal was to get the tree down to manageable logs that he could drag behind the tractor and process into cordwood later.

Watching him work entertained and taught me but I soon grew distracted.  I was allowed to wander as long as I stayed on the path.   It was, as I said, a broad path.  On a particular day, I found a smaller track leading in a direction away from my permitted path.  I did not know it was a deer trail.  I began to walk down it.

I saw the usual signs that deer had passed and that excited me.  After following the path for a bit, I was excited to tell my Grandfather of the deer sign and suggest the path for our next hunting season.  When I turned to retrace my steps, the trail did what many do in such circumstances.  It disappeared. 

Calling out to my Grandfather seemed useless, so I turned to make my way back on my own.  Realizing that I was not finding the path, I tried to follow the sound of the chainsaw.  What I did not consider was that I was in a small depression and the sound was echoing from the opposite direction off of a rock outcropping.  I grew further from my goal instead of closer.

When I reached the rocks, I realized that I was lost.  I knew the place but not the way back without my Grandfather to guide me.  Climbing on top of the flat of the rock, I looked to see if I could find my way back.  Fear and worry gripped me so firmly that I was losing my ability to think well.

I waited for the chainsaw noise to stop and followed another instruction of my Grandfather’s.   He told me often when we would venture out, “If you are in trouble, do not call out for me.  Others could hear it and ignore not because they are not your Grandfather.  Instead, as loud as you can, shout ‘Help, Help, Help.”   We had practiced it until he was sure my seven-year-old mind grasped the concept and the method.

From the top of that rock, I did as he had instructed.  My small voice carried through the air to his keen ears.  He signaled that he had heard me by revving the chain saw three times.  His further instruction had been that he would answer when I called for help with three repeated sounds.  Once he answered I was not to move unless I was in physical danger. 

Further, I was to count to fifty slowly and call out again.  He would answer again.  I would call, he would rev the chainsaw, and I would begin to count.   This went on for about half an hour until he found me.  When he appeared out of the wood, I ran to him.  He set down the chainsaw and took me in his strong arms asking if I was hurt.

Once he was certain that I was not, he handed me his canteen and insisted that I drink as deeply as I could.  We sat here in the grass and rested for a bit.  He gently asked how I got so far from the path.  I explained about the deer trail and offered that it was a path too.

His gentle smile made the loving rebuke that I had not stayed the true path easy to take.  He knew the deer trail and led me right back to it.  There we stopped and he pointed out the tracks of a wolf and a bobcat.  He explained that there are many dangers to following the wrong path even for good reasons.

That, Dear Reader, is where we are going to walk for a bit.  No matter how much we wish not to, we find ourselves on the wrong path at times.  I want to stand at this fork in the way and ponder the things that are involved in finding the right path.  Please walk with me and share all the thoughts and questions you wish.  I 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 homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

#aramisthorn

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon          

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Invincible Vulnerability ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

We cannot be invulnerable.  When we try, the chinks in our armor are exposed.  The holes in our thoughts and beliefs are found.  That which assails us gets in and does damage.  We are flawed failed and vulnerable whether we wish it or not.

It is only when we use the armor that is not ours, but provided by the Spirit that we can achieve invincibility.  Faith, salvation, righteousness, truth, and the good news of Jesus Christ are our armor provided by the Father.  Around that armor is a cloak made of zealous love directed toward the Father and every human that lives.

When David faced Goliath, he refused the armor offered him because he had not proven it.  He had not tested it and learned to fight wearing it.  His weapon was a sling.  He had practiced over and over with it whilst tending his Father’s sheep.   Whilst bringing lunch to his brothers, he saw how his God was being treated, he became a warrior.

He knew that the Father was enough.  He knew that standing against Goliath was his only choice.  David chose five stones because Goliath had four brothers.  He embraced the good news that redemption provides and walked out to meet the giant.  He was unashamed to be armor-less because his armor was the truth that the Father had always protected him.  His righteousness protected his heart that burned with zeal for his God.  His head was covered and protected with the certain knowledge that the Father would save him.  Goliath’s sword and spear could not reach David because of his faith.

David was vulnerable but invincible.  His response to Goliath’s challenge burned from his love for God; "The LORD, who saved me from the lion and the bear, will save me from this Philistine."  When he needed a weapon, it was his love for God that fueled him. 

We can see from the Psalms that David wrote that he loved the Father with great zeal.  Despite the many times, he failed to live out that love, when called to account, it was where he always returned.  I must do the same.  I must rely on the Father to provide for my defense.   I have to attend to wearing what he has provided to do so.

When the attacks of others come, I am invincible in this stance.  I do not need to hate or fight.  Even when those I love reject me, there is no need to be destroyed.  I can instead use the vulnerability of loving others for the sake of loving the Father to fight and to win.  Victory will not look like I imagine it will.  It never does.  The win is far beyond what I can imagine, Dear Reader.  Knowing that I am obedient to the great commands is enough. 

As we move on down the path, it is in this armor I will walk.  It is this vulnerable invincibility that must be part of my determination to follow Christ in love.  We can withstand anything we must to share that love.  The journey home will not always be peaceful.  We need fear nothing, Dear Reader.  We need only wear the armor given and walk in the light provided by the Son.  Please keep walking with me, Dear Reader.  I do not have all the answers but I know where to go to find them.  One of those answers is that to be invincible we must be vulnerable to 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 homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

#aramisthorn

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon                   

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

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

Second Thoughts ~ Single Awareness Day

Greetings Dear Reader,

I am quite aware today that I am single.  I walk a fine line where what I desire is not available and what is available is not meant for me.  This may sound odd but it is evidence that I have learned from my failures.  Today reminds me though, that I am a romantic with no one to romance.

This begs the question of how to fulfill that need without leaving the path that is so vital to my journey.  I have no clear and clean answer but I do have practices that mitigate the loneliness and longing.  There are things that train me to be a better man.

Let me be clear again.  My situation is mostly my fault.  Two women have been brave enough to love me and marry me.  I failed them both.  I gave up on my first marriage and was so demanding in the second.  Even though all of our commitments are our own to fulfill, I did not do what I should to love and care for the women that loved me.  I have learned a great deal since then.

As holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and Valentine’s Day remind me, I love someone and am not able to repair what is there.  So again, it is up to me to strike the balance of holding to my true heart and ensuring that I do not try to force or manipulate things to my desire.  There is a higher way and I must do whatever it takes to walk it.

Being alone has worked in me to see people for what they need.  Committing my heart to love everyone deeply and passionately helps.  Seeking every day to love the Father passionately and as my first love sustains me.  The deeper I go in this the more clearly I see that who I have been is very difficult to love.

Stripping away expectations from my interactions with others teaches me to see them for their gifts and needs instead of a way to meet my own needs.  The loneliness is real for me but focusing on being loving without expectations fulfills me.  When my lesser self tries to assert its desires, I can focus on genuine love instead of seeking my own interests.  The gap shrinks every time I do this.  I am able to refocus on that which is good and right faster.

The other thing that occurs is that loving others first, unconditionally, and without expectations frees me to see their needs.  When we give ourselves away in the right way, what comes out of that is richer than my selfish needs.  There is a level of fulfillment in loving others for the sake of loving the Father that I have not seen before in my heart.  I have more love to show and give.  I am not setting out expectations that when not met cause hurt and anger. 

The things for which I yearn are based on that love.  Power and control have nothing to do with it.  It is the freedom to love without placing others in a box or corner.  It is seeing those I love as the Father made them and being at peace with what they offer that contains life. 

What I find myself wanting is only the Father’s best for others.  I still miss my fellow traveler.  I still desire to adventure the rest of the journey home with her.  I also long to be at peace with those I love deeply who have set me aside.  The truth, however, is this:  If the Father thought it best for us that those relationships were as I wish them to be, nothing could stop it.  There is great peace in yielding to this truth and grasping firmly on the love that gives it resolve. 

So, on this Single Awareness Day, I tighten my resolve to love them as deeply as I can.  I vow to respect the boundaries they have set for me.  I will grasp any opportunity to show them the love that I have for them.  I will retire to my rest praying for the Father to so clothe them in his love that it is all they see.  I hold this same love and hope for you Dear Reader.  Perhaps we can understand that it is pursuing this love is the thing about which we must become singularly aware.  This may sound reckless but it is true and sustainable.

Reckless Love – Cory Asbury

Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me

You have been so, so good to me

Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me

You have been so, so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me

You have been so, so good to me

When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me

You have been so, so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

There’s no shadow You won’t light up

Mountain You won’t climb up

Coming after me

There’s no wall You won’t kick down

Lie You won’t tear down

Coming after me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

 

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

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon          

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

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

Invincible Vulnerability ~ Challenge and Response

Greetings Dear Reader,

I own a World War I era Underwood Portable typewriter.  It was my Great Grandfather’s who served as an Army journalist in the war.  It was the machine on which I crafted my first stories as a boy. 

It still works but lower case “r” is a little bent and produces a character that sits a bit above the other letters on the page.  The right shift key is a bit loose.  The “2” key is the only real problem, however.  If you wish to type a “2” or an “@”, you must use the force required to move a continent.  It requires skill and determination to push that button.  Still, if one applies enough force, one can push that key and produce a lovely “2”.

After an argument, a friend once confessed to me that she had been “pushing my buttons” on purpose.  She said that she knew that I was right but making me angry diverted me from the topic.  The difficulty with this is not her actions.

We cannot move through the world without circumstances and people pushing our emotional and social buttons.  Those who know us best understand what sets us off.  They can use that knowledge to manipulate situations or avoid topics. The world is going to challenge us by trying to push our buttons.

Learning to be lovingly unoffendable means that our buttons become difficult if not impossible to push.  We will be challenged but we choose the response.  We must recognize when someone is pushing the topics or issues that anger or hurt us.  It is our choice to respond.  Further, it is our obligation to respond with love and grace.

Wrapped in a cloak of love we can withstand the attempts to push us into actions that are unloving.  There may be no intent to anger our hurt us.  Either way, we own the buttons and can harden them against unwanted activation.  Like that old Underwood, I can become hard to button-pushing whilst remaining vulnerable to things that are loving and kind.

A friend asked me about this yesterday.  I explained that things that hurt still hurt.  The things that make me angry still anger me.  The new filter is in my response.  I am not going to allow the responses to be controlled by who or what is pushing the button.  I am going to filter the response through love and determine if the answer under that button is loving or not.  If it is not, then my rejoinder must be love, Dear Reeder.  That response will always produce a character that is above the line.  That is a good place to land on the page that is our lives.

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

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon          

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

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Medium         Instagram 

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

Invincible Vulnerability ~ Thoughts and Intents

Greetings Dear Reader,

How often do we think or say that what is occurring is not what we intended?  We perhaps had a slip of the tongue.  Maybe we did not intend for things to go the way they have.  We say to ourselves, “I wish I had thought of that.”

It is in the mind that all our troubles begin.   It is how we think about things that determines how we feel, our attitude, and ultimately our actions.  Thomas Traherne, one of my favorite seventeenth-century writers penned this: “To think well is to serve God in the interior court.” 

Paul suggested to the Corinthians that, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”   It is clear that what we do and become begins in the mind. The thoughts of the mind are what form who we become.  If I consider this in light of my current question, I can see how it can be practically realized.

If the foundation is love, then vulnerability is vital.  I must not have thoughts that resist the thought to be loving to everyone.   More so, I must think actively about how to show love to others.  It must be at the core of my thinking.

The other side of this coin is the idea that when others seek to harm or offend me if love is at the heart of my thinking, they cannot.   I can feel hurt but not be offended.  I may feel anger and still not sin by failing to love.  To do this I must hold captive every thought I have.  I cannot follow paths of thought that stand against the knowledge to love the Father and love every human and continue to follow Christ.

The practice of capturing our thoughts leads to mental discipline that makes us invulnerable.  What others intend for evil, the Father can use for good.  Those who reject us need our forgiveness and love.   Those who have done us the most harm most deeply need our love and prayers.   I must love at every turn, even when it hurts.  I can show love in every situation if I employ humility and grace; if I think well.

The armor provided is sufficient.  Cloaked in active living love, it becomes impervious.  It is all controlled by thinking.  We must remember our need for grace and mercy.  We must dwell on the things for which we need forgiveness.  We must gain strength from the knowledge that if we refuse to be offended, we can use the power of love to crush every barrier.  We can be a beacon of love and grace that allows others to see the source of it, Jesus. 

I will not say that this is easy.  I will say that the attempt, after 44 days is worth it.  There is a level of peace within this path that I have never known.  The wrongs that others do still hurt.  It is my thinking and responses that are changing.  My thoughts turn to love and grace more rapidly.  My heart longs for others to cease the things they do that are hurtful, not for my sake but for theirs. 

If I capture my thoughts in every moment and turn them toward love and grace, I can become invincible and vulnerable all at once Dear Reader.   It is the closest I can see to the path that Christ lays out for us.  This is going to be very difficult at times.  So far, however, it is 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 homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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