It’s the end of 2016 and this was my year of love; all my years were years of love but this year even more so. Given the divisiveness, distrust, disgust, despair, and disasters that have been the recent landscape of this America, it provoked me to wonder if love has anything to do with anything. A line to one of Tina Turner’s song runs through my mind asking the question, “What’s love got to do with it?” And my answer was then and now still is, everything.

 Marvin Gaye’s question “What’s going on?” rings loudly in my ears. Has the world taken love and buried it under a rock somewhere? Has it become a gift obtained conditionally from conditional people. Yes, I have a hard time loving everybody. I have a hard time dealing with personalities, relationships, family, friends, and coworkers who are sometimes very difficult to love. But I haven’t and I will never give up trying to spread love instead of hate.

 

Deon Jackson in 1966 recorded the hit song, Love Makes the World go Around. It’s why we live, why we do what we do for ourselves and for others; Love is simple yet complex, and something we can’t live without, at least not happily. We must endeavor in 2017, those that make it across the river, to understand what it means to love.

The Apostle Paul said: “I may be able to speak several foreign languages, and even the heavenly language of tongues, but if is without love my words are incoherent and no one understands them. Even if I am an eloquent speaker or preacher, and can dissect the mysteries of the gospel, if I do it without love I am an empty vessel. Even though it is a blessing to give above receiving, or be willing to die as a hero, these acts without love add nothing to my spiritual bank account: I am considered bankrupt!” (1 Cor. 13:1-3).

 The ultimate lover: Jesus, and Because of Love He gave himself. We are not finished yet, let’s take this spirit of love with us into 2017 and beyond!

Peace….