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The Power of Love

by Stenoy (Steve) Stephonson

 
S. I. MacMillan, in his book None of These Diseases, tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application form that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower."

Dr Martin Luther King. Jr. in his 1967 speech, 'Where do we go from here'… said, "What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love."

Have you seen loveless exercises of power in social change work? Have you seen powerless expressions of love? And, most intriguingly, have you seen a powerful combination of power and love in their most positive, generative manifestations, help to change the world? Adam Kahane in the book Love and Power: A theory and practice of social change argues that joining love and power holds a key to powerful social transformation. He reminds us, as Dr. King did, that both love and power have positive and negative degenerative dimensions.

Power: the drive of everything living to realize itself with increasing intensity and extensity. The focus is on development, growth, and self-determination.

Love: the drive towards the unity of the separated. The focus here implies an underlying unity that has been lost or broken.

Authority of Love: To have authority of love, we need to accept ourselves wholeheartedly. In the words of Jesus: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' Who are our neighbours? The authority of love does everything that can benefit the other. Authority of love reaches out to the society.

Authority of Power: Authority of power to drive out the evil from the society. Zero tolerance towards injustice, inequality, discrimination, and actions that harm the ordinary people.

We have love to care for oneself and others. The Apostle Paul says, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. Though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge but have not love, I am nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Love and power calls for a connection between the head and the heart. Love comes from the heart and power gives us the ability to choose love. This takes absolute conviction, total commitment, and a pure heart.

John Piper said, "I don't get excited about behaviours in and of themselves. I'm excited about how passionately engaged you are with God, and the works that flow from the combination of power and love."

The Power of Love

Love suffers long, love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. There is no jealousy. It does not parade itself. It is not puffed up, gives itself no airs. It never pushes itself to the top, never tries to promote itself, never tries to advertise itself. It is always in the background, truly humble. Love does not behave rudely, it is always courteous and gracious at every turn. It seeks not its own, is never selfish. It is not easily provoked or irritable. Love thinks no evil. It is never glad when another falls. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. It is slow to expose the faults of others. It is eager to believe the best, always hopeful and optimistic concerning the future. (Paraphrased version of I Corinthians 13)

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