Love is a dangerous thing. Martin Luther King was targeted because while he hated the misdeeds of the past, he loved the future. He wanted all races to get together, he professed a future where we all lived in harmony. He talked about that future, he envisioned that future, he brought love to the future. And it worked. It is working. That is what so frightened his opponents.
Others who called for violence were not targeted, others who promised retribution for acts of racism were not targeted: Martin Luther King was the real danger because he held to the powerful sword of love.
Abraham Lincoln was the same. Dangerous. Willing to quietly, effectively push the boundaries of an old society toward a state that was more fair, more just, more loving. For that he was targeted. Even now, in our churches, there are those who do not choose to love. They may call it law, but it is not the law of Christ. Choose the red words in the Bible—Choose the words of our Lord. Love is so attractive, so inclusive, so dominating a force, that God himself is love.
Most of us won't face a gun, or a battle we must fight. Most of us who are marginalized will simply be excluded. But still the battle of love rages on. You can kill a person, but you can't kill love. King's message carries on to this day. Those pastors who hate the past, but love the future keep it alive.
We cannot carry past wrongs or old discrimination into a future of light. We have to lose the idea that we are to judge anyone. Our only job is to encourage, guide, and assist, but always, always in love, recognizing that our feet only fill our own shoes, that the path we have walked is exclusive to ourselves, and that we must always respect the path another has walked. As King so wisely stated, "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend." What if we did just that?
Love you all,
Nancy
