Love -a Conquering
Force
We have been saying that even when love does not succeed in changing
the object of one's love, it never fails to bring about changes in
the one who expresses love. This thought, however, must not be allowed
to turn our gaze away from the fact that love does have a powerful
influence in bringing about changes in others.
What we have been saying about the power of love to transform is
not something intangible and vague but real and powerful. When the
Communist portion of Chiang Kai-shek's army took over Nanking (now
Nanjing), they began to loot the city, and entered homes to seize
whatever they could find. A Chinese Christian, a professor of theology,
decided that whatever happened, he would respond in love. When a soldier
struck him on one side of the chest with the butt of his rifle, the
professor pointed to his other side and said: " This too, please."
The soldier dropped his gun in astonishment. The professor then found
that some of the local people, who had followed the soldiers, were
trying to get his brass bed down the stairs in order to take it away
to their own home when it got struck. The professor said: "Here,
let me help you", whereupon they blushed to the roots of their
hair and fled.
At last the Communists decided to take him off and shoot him, but
as he was being led away, he put his arm through the arm of the ringleader
and said: "You are my friend; I expect you to protect me."
Then he marched along arm in arm to his execution. When they got to
the place where they intended to execute him, they let him go, saying:
"What can you do with a person like this?"
Love may not always overcome evil in this way and save a person from
death, but whether it does or not, you can be sure of this- it always
has the last word.
Give out love and only love. For in the giving out of love, you not
only transform yourself but there is a high chance that you will transform
others.
"...live a life of love, just as Christ
loved us and gave Himself up for us..." Eph. 5:2.
Be encouraged,
**********************Letter # 8 (23.2.2003)*******************
