In his speech the night of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, Senator Robert Kennedy said, “We can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love.” He went on to say “What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be black.”
Reading those words, understanding that they related to the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s here in the United States, I couldn’t help but think how much they still hold true today. What we need in the WORLD is not division. What we need in the WORLD is not hatred. We need love and wisdom, and compassion towards one another, and a feeling of justice towards all people, regardless of race, nationality, religious belief, gender. You get the picture.
As we look around the world today there is so much turmoil, so much unrest. Hunger, poverty, unemployment, homelessness, illness are all at levels that should simply not exist in 2011. Neighbors, family members, friends are at each other’s throats out of desperation.
I am not naïve enough to believe that a few good deeds will bring about lasting world peace. If that were the case, all of these problems would have been solved centuries ago. However, I do believe that by seeking to understand one another and to love one another through serving one another, we can bring change for the better. As Christ-followers, we are called to do this. When asked by the Pharisees about the greatest commandment, Jesus replied: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-38).
To love our neighbor as ourselves can mean many different things. You may volunteer your time locally to tutor children in the public schools. You may take food to your local food bank every month. Perhaps you work through organizations to help build affordable housing. Perhaps you have traveled to areas devastated by earthquakes or floods. Hopefully if you have done any of these things, you have developed relationships with people who maybe are not just like you. Maybe you have discovered that in putting some differences aside, you have been able to find some things in common and gain greater understanding of others.
PeaceThruLove is all about finding those things in common and building relationships that span socioeconomic, racial, religious, gender-based differences. I invite you to check out 13 Acts (www.13Acts.org) to submit your ideas for how we can change the world.
