Usually, Others Can Say it Better

I came across this classic quote the other day of Frederick Buechner, which he wrote in the book, The Magnificent Defeat*:

"THE LOVE FOR EQUALS IS A HUMAN THING…of friend for friend, brother for brother. It is to love what is loving and lovely. The world smiles. THE LOVE FOR THE LESS FORTUNATE IS A BEAUTIFUL THING…the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world. THE LOVE FOR THE MORE FORTUNATE IS A RARE THING… to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich, of the black man for the white man. The world is always bewildered by its saints. And then there is THE LOVE FOR THE ENEMY…love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens and inflicts pain. The tortured’s love for the torturer. This is God’s love. It conquers the world."

My love for others is SO conditional.

My love for things is so out of balance.

My love for God has some growing to do.

My love FROM God will --and can-- allow me to love an enemy.

*The Magnificent Defeat: the defeat of the Human Soul by God....

Thank you, God.