The love for equals… is a human thing, the love for the less fortunate… is a beautiful thing. The love for the more fortunate… is a rare thing. And then there is love for the enemy. This is God’s love. It conquers the world. -Frederick Buechner
Everyone is talking about how important it is to love other people. Both sides of the political aisle have taken up the theme of love to explain their actions. The left argues that it is unloving to keep refugees out of the country. The right says that it’s unloving to leave a huge national debt for our children to contend with. I’m not sure that either side is motivated by love very often, but it sounds good to voters. So, what does love look like in our world of sound bites and political spin?
Frederick Buechner’s brief quote on love is incredibly powerful. He points out that love for equals is a human thing. That is, it’s easy to love people who are like us. We like to talk about the same things. We spend money at the same stores and websites. We go to the same places. We have many of the same dreams. Beyond that, is the love for the less fortunate. Loving those less fortunate than we are is a beautiful thing. Sacrificing for love those with no home is admirable. Collecting food for those who don’t know if they will have dinner tomorrow night is a wonderful thing. Showing love to those in need is essential to a world worth living in.
Even more challenging than loving those less fortunate than us, is loving those who are more fortunate than we are. There’s a reason the story of Robin Hood is so timeless. We all love the thought of giving to the poor, but robbing from the rich? Well, that’s even better. It’s difficult to love those who have more money than we do, those who have had more opportunities and advantages. I am not talking about pandering to those who have what we want. That’s not love. Loving the “haves” is a difficult task.
Lastly comes a challenge directly from Jesus, to love our enemies. This seems ludicrous. It is also, I believe, impossible. At least it’s impossible without the direct intervention of God into our lives. Loving our enemies means praying for Donald Trump. It means wishing Hillary Clinton well. It means we pray for the children of the suicide bomber. Closer to home it means loving the person at work that you are competing with for a promotion. Loving our enemy means loving someone who may very well hate you for their entire life. That sort of love is God’s love. It is God’s desire for us, and it alone has the power to change the world.