“We must discover the power of love,” said Rev. Michael Curry quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the royal wedding. It has never been more appropriate.
There’s much to fear, people are being killed every day. There are people who hate. People who are mistreated, abused, oppressed, and living in misery. But the power of love is still all around us.
The Power of Love Visible
I went to the store for a quick errand today and I saw the power of love working in quiet ways all around me. A mother kissed her toddler. A pair, not-the-same-skin-color, held hands and whispered to one another. A father ruffled his young son’s hair. Love is all around us. It’s not usually very noisy, the royal wedding is an exception.
An important exception because it held an extraordinary blend of love and tribute and celebration. Most importantly it held a reminder of Dr. King’s words.
There are so many people on the internet shouting angry, hateful words out of fear or negative places and feeling. It drowns out the quieter emotions like love. We, who aren’t full of hate, and anger, and fear, need to hold up the more powerful emotion. I believe Dr. King was right. The power of love is a redemptive power but only if we remember to see it, to hold it to the light.
Look for Love
So take a moment, a day, a week–look for the power of love around you. Really try to see the love. It’s there. But you will have to open yourself. That may feel scary, vulnerable. But if you look, you will get your own glimpses of love. Hold love to the light. Shine the light on love. How does it make you feel to see the love instead of the hate? If we all did this, what would the world be like?