The last few months have been one of worldwide tragedy. We've had the Charlie Hebdo shootings, the continual death of civilians and children at the hands of the Boko Haram and the death a few months ago of hundreds of young ones in a brutal set of circumstances in Pakistan. Even when it wasn't terrorism related, there were communities hurting with the death of eight children in Cairns. It's truly been heartbreaking to read a newspaper or turn on a TV, computer, tablet or phone.
And all of this before we talk about the Martin Place or Sydney siege.
That chilling 18 hours that sent a shudder down the spine of every Sydneysider and Australian, including myself. The actions of a truly mad man which have changed the way we view our freedom with the sudden realisation that we are not immune to the terror that has split blood all over the world.
One would be excused if they were to run away from the world right now and becomes a recluse in a cave or to think that the good in this world has disappeared.
In the midst of all the pain, suffering, heartache and sadness though, there has been a silver lining. It is something that has renewed my hope on the good in life and brought a smile to my face.It is clear to see in the way that thousands of people got onto social media to support those of the Islamic/Muslim faith, in the thousands of flowers of condolence that are now streaming through Martin Place. It is clear, whether you agree with the work of Charlie Hedbo, in the support that was given across France to the fight against radicalism and the promotion of freedom. It is clear in the increased value we are placing on those around us in the world today...
What I'm talking about, is of course, the gift of love.
Like a sprout peering through the ground in the first rains after a drought, the love and care shown by Australians towards each other and in particular those of middle eastern faith has been so pleasing to see and a sign of the growth of our nation.In the face of severe adversity and hatrid in so many ways, we as a community have risen up to show those who want to cause such hurt and angst that they will never win this battle, not while we have love on our side.
Sometimes we think of love as this emotion that comes with flowers, chocolates, happy moments and smiles in abundance. We think of it as the Valentines Day Hollywood romance of a couple who are so into each other that they can't think of spending a day without each other.
While this is a form of love, eros- there's another form of love that exists, and that's Agape.
Agape is that love that we build our charitable spirit through. It comes out in the darkest of times and is the building block of our lives. It is the gift God gives us to help one another and to create a better world even when it seems like there's no hope to do so.
Right now in this world, we need to make 2015 the year of Agape. In the midst of all the craziness, fear and destruction, we need to stand strong for our fellow man or woman and love them for the people God made them to be.
There will always be moments of hurt in our lives, it's a part of the broken world we live in. But if we choose to love one another with charity, respect and care, then we can overcome the hurt and find ways to live lives of joy and virtue in all that we do.
To live with an Agape love though isn't just a one off thing, It's a daily choice we need to make no matter how much we don't want to love on that particular day. I will in future blogs go into how we can do this but needless to say that if we want to have love in our lives, we must make that choice.Sometimes the world might not seem like it deserves to be loved, but it always does. Not because there is something great happening in it (although there always is) but because we remember that love has the power to overcome all, as St Paul said... there are three things, faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love.
Tragedy and love are a part of life, it's up to us as to which one we allow to rule.
Till next time...
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