A Many Splendored Thing

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers and sisters only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

There’s no way I will love my enemy.  I will try to understand the reasons for him/her being my enemy, and I’ll seek truces and accommodate my enemy if the demands are reasonable.  Otherwise…

Perhaps the best approach is not to make enemies.  We can accomplish this through understanding, compromise, and kindness.   Love seems out of the question.

God is love and our heavenly Father is perfect so loving our enemies implies we must be perfect.  That we are not, so love doesn’t come easily.

With spring so close at hand I prefer to think about love in a different way according to the lyrics of “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” recorded by Bing Crosby in 1955.

Love is a many splendored thing
It's the April rose that only grows in the early Spring
Love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living
The golden crown that makes a man a king
Once on a high and windy hill, In the morning mist
Two lovers kissed and the world stood still
Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing
Yes, true love's a many splendored thing

Love is a many splendored thing

It's the April rose that only grows in the early Spring

Love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living

The golden crown that makes a man a king
Once on a high and windy hill, In the morning mist
Two lovers kissed and the world stood still
Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing
Yes, true love's a many splendored thing

It’s time for our silent hearts to sing.

Deacon David Pierce