The Power of Love

In the late sixties, Hal David and Burt Bacharach wrote the song, “What The World Needs Now Is Love.” The lyrics speak of there being too little love in the world. The lyrics are just as true to life today as they were fifty-five years ago. And maybe even more today given the amount of schisms in the communities of the world.

There are communities, schools, families, work colleagues, and marriages at odds because of political ideology. This shouldn’t be. First and foremost, human beings were created with an overabundance of love that is to be given away and not just to those we favor. Hear Jesus as he says, “And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that” (Matthew 5:47, NIV)?

Here’s a suggestion I read in Martha Whitmore Hickman’s book, Healing after Loss. Offer a silent blessing to people you meet during the day—the barista in the coffee shop, your colleague at the water fountain, the postal clerk, the driver in the lane next to you or anyone you encounter during the day.

Prayer is powerful. Imagine what would happen if these gestures of goodwill were to catch fire. When you say silently, “May God bless you,” a smile shows up on your face. It only takes a love spark to spread a fire of love.