What an awesome sentence.
Somewhere inside of me a light comes on and an in-built radar sounds ‘TRUTH’, as I utter these words.
The problem is that too often I
still live my life as if it were not true.
In my heart I still feel that
evil has the power to crush out truth and love.
I look around and see people in
poverty, I see dictators crushing nations, and rebels killing back. I see
injustice, I see pain, I see questions with seemingly bad answers.
My fear tells me that love cannot
overcome all the pain and hate and dark out there.
Yet when I look at my own life
the only thing in the past four years that has ministered to and inspired this hurt and angry soul has
been love. Love has melted all my angry defences, mellowed me into a person
that is now more focussed on service than angry man-made justice.
The truth is that for all my
lifelong outrage at injustice and desire to change the world, I achieved so
little because I wanted to force
hate and inequity into righteousness. I wanted to shout them down, and rise up
for the meek – but I wanted to do all this in ways that were not humble.
I wanted to fight fire with
burning embers of my own. Instead of meeting injustice with the cool, calm
waters of love and compassion, I added the heat of my anger to the furnace and
the fire raged on.
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| photo credit |
Fear can make us believe that
unless we protect ourselves and our
loved ones we will be crushed irrevocably. Anger helps us avoid our fears and I
believe that one of our worst downfalls is the inner belief that this anger is
righteous.
At first it takes faith to discard
our anger and to trust that love can overcome evil. But soon we will feel it
work in our lives.
The blessed truth is that love
stand firmer and longer than indignant rage. In fact, where rage burns out, leaving only ashes of cynicism and disillusionment, love stands forever.
Love is not weak or silent. Love
speaks in a clear, unwavering voice, which does not compromise or placate to
ills or errors.
Love is not passive or puny. Love
acts in ways that uphold the Truth of God and make manifest His Love for each
of his children.
It is the absence of fear in love,
which makes love act impartially, championing only that which is good, and
true, each and every time. Love does
not honour one creed or gender or race above another. It does not hold onto
grudges or seek vengeance. Love’s justice is faithful and exact. It comes from
a heart that is humble and desires only
that which will bring more love to everyone.
When we have the courage and
desire to love rather than to punish, protect or react we not only stay closer
to our Father, but we show mercy and grace to those around us.
And how powerful is the
experience of mercy and grace? If you have felt such things from the heart of
your Maker you will know how quickly it crumbles our rock hard places into
sand.
This God-Grace and Mercy takes
hold of sand-crumbled hearts and works on them endlessly until He Builds in us
pearls of wisdom, strength and grace of our own.
So then, what more powerful to offer than our smaller gifts – of our own mercy and forgiveness?
I believe that the experience of
love is what we all crave. God made
us that way.
And this experience, of love, has the most power to open us
to truth, which enables us to live in freedom.
The only thing lacking for love
to extinguish evil on this planet is for each of us to use our will in harmony with it. And this will mean no longer worshiping a god of my own creation – the ‘fear god’ – but trusting instead
the Almighty power of Love.
Love can overcome evil, friends. It
only takes us to be willing to live it, to trust it, to embody it.
When no-one trusts love or stands
up for it, only fear has power. But fear is a paltry influence when faced with the
life-force of love.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today I'm asking myself , what do I believe in? Love or fear?
Do you ever doubt the ultimate power of love over evil?
Do you ever doubt the ultimate power of love over evil?
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Somehow this clip fits (smile) I guess it appeals to my bizarre sense of humour...
Fighting fire with fire has always been my refuge and then when it hurt too much getting some sympathy from somewhere. And I don't think I cared much who I flamed as long as I could make someone sorry. That's twisted.
ReplyDeleteThank you for Reflecting upon Love!
ReplyDeleteThank you for demonstrating unguarded love and giving the gift of friendship!
Thank you for reminding me that LOVE STANDS FOREVER!!!
And Thank you for sooo much more! I feel that each sentence on Love is bringing more and more up - a bit like 'Through the Mists'! Thank you, hope Book Group was fun today!
Love
Eloisa
Hey Eloisa,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comments.
I love how you wrote about your reflections on Love and I know you are too humble to share here, so I'm dobbing you in slightly by telling everyone here to check out your post in response to this one: http://peter-eloisa.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/reflections-on-love.html
Its such a joy to share this journey with you,
Love
mary
It has been difficult for me to reconcile what it looks like for love to overcome evil in a loving way (through non-violence toward the evil in feelings and action). One good example that I've come across of love overcoming evil was Gandhi's accomplishments during his life. I love how we can read about it in his own words, too, so you don't have to worry about someone manipulating his message for their own agenda. Despite his huge success, there are so many examples of huge discrepancies in people's beliefs of having to use violence to overcome evil that it feels overwhelming and disheartening. Even very gentle people I know do not believe that if someone attacks you that you must protect yourself with violent action (and they feel very strongly about it). I admit that I still don't know what I would do if someone attacked me, but it has given me a lot to consider. I imagine that I would try to run away. To feel love toward the aggressor, well, that seems even more challenging.
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't mind if I change the subject, but has anyone read the book "The Language of Emotions" by Karla McLaren? Do you feel there is any truth in her methodology for exploring the emotions? It is interesting to hear her specific example of overcoming a severe childhood trauma (rape at age 3) and her journey on healing herself and forgiving her aggressor. There is much more to the book and I'm not done yet, but I was wondering if anyone else has explored it? It might be a good one for helping people get in touch with their emotions and process them. That is why I ask.
Thank you!
Sara
Mary, You are such an inspiration,your insights, reflections & wisdom on many topics, but especially love,are such a gift,thank you; I have been exploring God's Laws of Love & feeling them, rather than my old habit of intellectualising them, & reflecting on how I have repeatedly acted according to my belief systems of what I thought love meant; so often thinking it was love when actually there was often an expectation in my addiction, & wanting something in return.
ReplyDeleteThank you especially Mary for inspiring women of all ages; my quest for knowing God, my desire for healing of my addictions & injuries and to discover my own feminity, is spurred on by experiencing your enormous capacity to love,your friendship and seeing the result of one truly living the teachings you & Jeshua offer.I am so grateful, as the tears stream down my face. Love Susan xx