Love
I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
When southern women saw a statement we wanted to remember, we would say, “ we must embroider this on a pillow.” Now as our country is so divided, I want to tattoo this on my forehead or stitch it on my lips. These are silly things to say but they may express the great difficulty it is to love others who seem to be so destructive to what we consider the way of life and the values we have been taught and we hope to represent.
I know what hate is like. It is a poison that destroys sometimes quickly and sometimes one brain cell at a time. When hate enters my body and spirit, I am tense. I am irritated by the least difficulty. My arteries are constricted. I become a victim. I live a zero-sum life. I must hold on tight to what I have because otherwise, I will soon lose it. Hate not only directs itself to others but is self-destructive. Hate destroys our bodies and everyone and everything we come in contact with.
I know what love feels like. It is peace, joy, caring for others, kindness, patience, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, caring for myself, all the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). My body is calm. My arteries are dilated. I am able to handle situations that once baffled me. I never see myself as a victim. I live a life of gratitude and forgiveness.
As we think about it, why would anyone not choose love? Perhaps because they do not know what love is like. They have not experienced love.
Again, this is our constant task, to stay surrounded with people and a community who know love, learn from them, share what they have taught us and try to give love away to as many as possible, whomever crosses our path today. I am counting on love.
Love is an infinity sum. The more we give, the more we receive. It is an inexhaustible source of energy. Hate, on the other hand, destroys everything around it including the body it inhabits.
Our bodies, our minds, our Spirit tells us to choose love. So does Rob Bell in his book, Love Wins.
Joanna joannaeibert.com