My
heart has been full this week after hearing of the bombings at the Boston
marathon. I’ve run two marathons myself,
so I can appreciate how hard it must have been for folks finishing 26 miles of
running to suddenly run for their life.
I
received an E-mail today that contained some powerful words from a blog written
by Steve Garnaas-Holmes at unfoldinglight.net
"People say, “Be
strong.” We will, yes, we will. But the world does not need strength. What the
world needs is kindness. The world needs people who have the courage to be
gentle, even when those around them are full of rage and despair and violence,
who refuse to join the world’s bitterness. The world needs people who choose
love over fear. That’s the only thing that will actually change the world.
It’s not easy.
Love is not quick, and does not produce immediate results. It’s a marathon. It
takes dedication and training and a lot of commitment. It’s not for the
faint-hearted. As Gandhi said, if you are too cowardly to be nonviolent, by all
means take up arms to fight for justice. Love takes guts. It takes faith,
confidence that a greater love is at work even when we cannot see it. And it
takes patience, like a marathon — the willingness to go the distance, to keep
at it when your body cries, “Quit!,” when your mind thinks of better things to
do, when pain and weariness make you want to give up —it takes guts to keep
going anyway. The Via Dolorsa
is the toughest race. To share in the world’s pain and sadness, and still keep
up hope and love — that is the world’s oldest marathon. The good news that
we do not run alone. Nor do we run on our own energy: we are moved by the
desire of God for the healing of the world."
Love
does take guts. Would you take a moment
to pray for everyone willing to run that marathon journey.
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