Loving Others ~ Beloved Community

 

Rev. Dr. King would often speak and write about the importance of the “Beloved Community”.  This ties to our January theme of loving ourselves, others, and God.  To be in the Beloved Community would mean that we would be with others, who may or may not be like us.  The very name, “Beloved” is to move from tolerance of others who are not like us to prayerfully working on cultivating and curating the “belovedness” of each person in the community. 

It is easy to let loose our inner critical curmudgeon and wonder if this is possible or practical??  Can we really love that person who has that political sign in his/her yard?

Can we really love that person who just posted that link on social?

Can we really love that person whose anger is lashing out everyone and maybe us?

Can we be in community when diversity divides us?

Then, I remember Dr. King preached on the Beloved Community this when fire hoses were turned on people peacefully protesting.  Dr. King said this amid racist words being spoken every day.  Dr. King said when fear was rampant.  Perhaps the more things change the more they stay the same.

In 1957, Dr. King would say,

“Love is creative and redemptive. Love builds up and unites; hate tears down and destroys. The aftermath of the ‘fight with fire’ method which you suggest is bitterness and chaos, the aftermath of the love method is reconciliation and creation of the beloved community. Physical force can repress, restrain, coerce, destroy, but it cannot create and organize anything permanent; only love can do that. Yes, love—which means understanding, creative, redemptive goodwill, even for one’s enemies—is the solution to the race problem.”

Re-read that.  It is still profound, powerful, and true.

Dr. King would also write,

“But the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. The type of love that I stress here is not eros, a sort of esthetic or romantic love; not philia, a sort of reciprocal love between personal friends; but it is agape which is understanding goodwill for all men. It is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. It is the love of God working in the lives of men. This is the love that may well be the salvation of our civilization.”

For me, Dr. King’s words above are preaching and proclaiming the truth that we are to love God with our full self, love our neighbor, and love ourselves.  I pray you will continue to let the wisdom of Dr. King roam around your heart and whole life this week.