Love is Power

I believe love is stronger than hate.  It is a  slow, consistent power like the small streams that carved out the Grand Canyon.  For those of you who have seen the Canyon with your own eyes, you know the sheer magnitude of it--the bone-chilling depth of it.

Compare it to a famous volcano eruption.  While it was powerful enough to change an entire ecosystem in a matter of days, the result of it was devastation.  The display was no doubt magnificent--quick and efficient--but it caused much death and destruction that can only be healed over time.  The Grand Canyon was carved slowly, allowing time for the land to adjust, and the result was a rich and thriving ecosystem full of beauty beyond description.

That's the difference between love and hate.  With hate or anger, pressure builds up under the surface, not accomplishing anything until the build-up becomes so strong that it needs release.  And while its expression is powerful and feels gratifying, it is short-lived, and destructive, the damage is often irreparable, and the one who expresses it is left with an even larger gaping hole than before, never truly satiated.  With love, there is always peace even though change is happening.  The moments seem powerless as they happen--a smile, a friendly greeting, a hug--but over time these things change a person.  They break down hard rock and smooth out sharp edges.  Those small things are the real power.  They are the strongest power.  They break down anger and hurt and strengthen weak mindsets.  They soften the hardest hearts, changing an angry response to a friendly one.  Love chases away fear.

Never underestimate the power of a smile or a word of encouragement.  Never underestimate the effect of a heart understood by a friend.  The judgment-free acceptance of another human being alters a life for the better.  Love is the cool, refreshing stream in a dry place.  It seems pitiful, vulnerable, even weak, but it is a great power that brings life if you remain consistent.

When you look at a person, what do you see?  The cuts on her arm?  The scowl on his face?  The piercings and tattoos?  His sexual preference?  Her daddy issues?  His drug problem?  Her mini-skirt?  Or do you see a person?

Hateful, fearful, and angry people are merely dry soil full of seeds that have the potential for great beauty.  They are people who are the most thirsty.

Be that love in someone else's life.  And if you find yourself a little dry, there's no better place to find love than in Christ Himself.

"...whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14 NIV)