The Power of Love
Does anyone else hear the phrase “The Power of Love” and automatically think of Huey Lewis and the News? Man, I loved that band! If you grew up in the 70’s/80’s, or are a fan of the movie Back to the Future, then you don’t need a reminder, but just in case you aren’t familiar, here is this beautiful blast from the past:
There is no doubt about it - love is a powerful thing. Either by love, or maybe lack of love, humans are shaped on this earth. Father Richard Rohr says great love and great suffering are the two paths towards real transformation and my experience believes that to be true. When I see a broken, hateful person, I see a human who hasn’t been loved well in this world. I see someone who is suffering through this life. Learning to view others through that lens has helped me not take attacks on me quite so personally. I almost find myself thinking, “Gosh, what happened to you?”, and I feel genuinely concerned for their well-being. We’ve all heard the saying, “Hurt people hurt people”- but I’ve found it to be more than just a saying - it is truth. Rohr has taken that a step further by saying:
This is why I’ve taken my own mental, emotional and spiritual growth very seriously over the last few years, and why I’ve encouraged those around me to do the same. When I evaluate my own behavior, I know that when I’m hurting, I can end up acting ugly to those I encounter, whether it be my family, friends, or the kid taking too long to bag my groceries at the grocery store. My hurt usually shows up as impatience and lack of compassion or understanding. It ain’t pretty, that’s for sure. It’s so very important that we work through our pain and our traumas, so that we don’t transfer them over to those around us. I mean, let’s face it - no one lives on this earth without experiencing pain, suffering and usually some kind of trauma they need to process.
I think learning to experience God’s love in my life has been my own biggest challenge and biggest transformation. Some might be surprised at that, especially those that know I grew up in church, surrounded by religious leaders and their teachings. But learning to follow a specific religion and their set of rules is completely different than learning to experience God’s love. At least it has been for me.
Maybe this quote, yet another from Father Rohr, might help explain:
“Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change. In fact, God loves you so that you can change. What empowers change, what makes you desirous of change is the experience of love.”
I spent so many years trying to convince God to love me by doing all the right things. What I was missing was that he already loved me completely - and that I needed to learn how to love myself. It’s still a daily choice to move forward in that knowledge and not fall back into thinking that God’s love for me is dependent on my every action, word or thought.
But back to the true power behind love. I see many Christians these days in fight mode, claiming the power of the cross, or the power of God, or the power they have in Christ Jesus as a way to fight against what they see as worldly influence and/or Christian persecution. I see the angry preachers, frantically pacing across their stages, spit spewing from the mouths as they rile up their congregations to fight with them and to draw on the power of God to help them in this fight between the Christians and the rest of the world.
Are we really supposed to be constantly fighting the rest of the world? Is that our calling as Christians?
It is my belief that true power comes when we choose restraint over fighting. Our egos always want to fight back when someone wrongs us. “How dare they?” “I’ll show them!” “They messed with the wrong person!” - all human tendencies. But that is not the example I see in Jesus Christ. Time after time, his power came from loving people, not fighting them. God chose to use his power to become a human and show us in human form how loving people well is actually one of the strongest things we can do. He loved us so much that he let his enemies kill him, rather than fight back. The cross was the ultimate showing of non-violent love.
I believe to have that kind of power, we have to be tapped into a higher spiritual force to do it. I mean, it’s easy to love those that love us - but loving those who hate us? That truly takes a power that most of us would say isn’t a natural instinct. I believe that kind of love is the only way we will make this world a better place. Jesus modeled that for us. Fighting everyone who doesn’t believe the same way we do isn’t the way to spread the gospel. I think there is a very good reason why church attendance has gone down over the last few years. Too many Christians are trying to bully the rest of world into believing the way they do, rather than loving them into it.
I honestly can’t relate to many of the loudest voices in Christian circles today. There have been times I have honestly even questioned if I could still call myself a “Christian”, but I still follow the teachings of Jesus, so I can’t say I’m not a Christian. I’m definitely trying to figure out where I land these days. I’m not sure it really matters what label I choose to call myself - but I definitely love the journey I have been on and feel more centered spiritually than I have felt in quite awhile.
I believe I feel centered because I have learned to embrace uncertainty and mystery and just rely on being led by love, even if it breaks some of the rules I was taught in my religion. Jesus set that example in Luke 6 when he healed a man on the Sabbath, even as the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day looked on with disdain. How dare he break the Sabbath law?… and right in front of their faces! They were so angry that they would have arrested him right there and then if they could. That radical act of love was the beginning of the end for Jesus. Those religious leaders knew they had to do something to stop this man who had no regard for their religious rules. Jesus knew they were mad and he said to them: “I ask you, which is lawful to do on the Sabbath: to do good or evil, to save a life or destroy it?” You can imagine how that went over with those legalistic leaders. Jesus was putting a person in need over following the law. They had to stop him from influencing others to love like that, because they would lose their power over the people. Power. It’s all about power. It’s the same today as it was back then. Too many religious leaders controlling their congregations and followers with rules and fear… rather than leading them in love.
For many, non-violent love looks weak. But it really is the true power in the grand scheme of things. And it’s a power I’m drawn to, more than anything these days. Even the Bible says that God IS love - so the power of love = the power of God. When we accept love in our lives, we are changed from within. And people who know that they are loved and forgiven by God can become transformed into people who love and forgive others in return. And that is the kind of power I want to see in the world. That is the kind of transformational power that is at the heart of the message of the gospel. And I’m sure that is the kind of power that Huey was singing about, right? ;-)
Have you seen the transformational power of love work in your own life?
What does it look like to you?
Love to you all…. M