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four loves

thanks to my friend greg for getting this to me...."the love for equals is a human thing---of friend for friend, brother for brother. it is to love what is loving and lovely. the world smiles.
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the love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing---the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. this is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world.
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the love for the more fortunate is a rare thing---to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich, of the black man for the white man. the world is always bewildered by its saints.
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and then there is the love for the enemy---love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. the tortured's love for the torturer. this is God's love. it conquers the world."

-frederick buechner, the magnificent defeat

Comments

Crafty P said…
great inspiration and difficult encouragement. and here I thought you were headed in a c.s. lewis kind of direction.

buechner says it all very well.

happy love day to you and yours!

ps that dinosaur thing was disgusting!
9:51 AM
Anonymous said…
Love is the energy of life. How can we be inspired to do anything let alone the tough things like loving our enemies without it? Buechner's words are inspirational and challenging. Love does indeed conquer all, even hatred and enmity. Thanks for the inspiration on this day of love.

Love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11:06 AM
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