Love-Light

As I read the newspaper clipping
from eighteen years ago, the words eerily described today:


The world love-light dims. We
fasten our safety belt for an unknown comet’s collision with Jupiter
with fear.  Our ears are glued to the tube for hours of special
media reports on the O.J. Simpson saga to taste every strand of
evidence fed to us by national commentators.

We feel the heavy
metal rock beat of senseless slaughter in Bosnia, Rwanda, Palestine
and Israel drumming against our consciences.  Crime waves, drug
cartels, natural disasters and lack of integrity set our teeth on
edge. Some of us can remember when our doors were never locked. We
remember when love lived in our homes and our streets. Now we live
in fear. How can we turn the love-lights back on?

We catch
rare glimpses of agape love at Christmas time or during calamities.
Such a love touched me a month ago (June 1994) — while I fought
fiercely to live independently at 87 but hopelessly collapsed like
an empty balloon in ill health. The love that touched me came from St
Mary’s Hospital, Home Health and my family. I cannot repay that
love, I can only say ‘Thank you’ for the beautiful love that lights
humanity. God lights this world with His love through you…thank
you…Anna Daisy Siemens.

This
clipping was placed inside a friend’s Bible and forwarded to me by
her daughter-in-law last week after my friend’s death.

When I
was a little girl, my bedroom had four windows, two to the South and
two to the West overlooking the backyard. One night as I lay down to
sleep, the back yard was filled with fears and images of war from the
current Life magazine. I was terrified. My Dad took my hand, and
with love, we walked outside to a peaceful backyard, a darkened
haven. Dad was my love-light. His strength became my strength. His
sureness became my peace. Now, when fear and uncertainty comes, I
place my hand in God’s hand and He strengthens me.


Now I
look at the news all about us, and I see what Mother saw in 1994 –
the turmoil of natural disasters, the ever-widening conflicts and
torture of people who are created by God throughout the world.
Senseless killings fueled by anger and revenge. And I ask, with
Mother, why? And I ask, when do we choose to turn on the love-light?


It is a
choice. It is from the heart. It is from us – me and you. Will each
of us learn to exchange the despair to hope; the anger to peace; the
criticism to encouragement; the hate to love; the sadness to joy; the
cruelty to gentleness; the corruption to truth; impatience to
endurance?
No, not
alone, but we have help. We can choose to the King of Peace to hold
our hearts and walk with Him each day.

But you, man of God, flee from
all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance
and gentleness. Revelation 1:8

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