How We Heal

Love Prevails

“The spiritual journey is the relinquishment—or unlearning—of fear and the acceptance of love back into our hearts. Love is the essential existential fact. It is our ultimate reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life.”

Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love)

There was a segment on the NBC Nightly News last night about something different going on in the streets of Paris. There were several Muslim men and boys, holding up homemade signs saying in essence, “I am Muslim, and I am not a terrorist. I love France and the French people. Give me a hug.” Amazingly, the French, who are typically not affectionate toward strangers, were hugging like crazy. Person after person, stranger after stranger, walked up to these men and embraced them in a real, honest-to-God bear hug. It was beautiful to behold.

As people who lost the freedom we love when the twin towers turned to ash, we have learned that the only truly healing response to unspeakable violence is unspeakable love. It was Jesus who not only said, “love your neighbor,” but also, “love your enemy.” We have seen the results of answering violence with violence, of trying to “out kill” those who would harm us. Just as their violence against us makes us stronger, our violence against them makes them stronger. Pretty soon, all we know is war, and we have lost the advantage of our greatest strength, love.

I know that giving hugs on the streets of Paris is not going to solve the crisis in the Middle East. But it is one step toward ending the crisis of dark-hearted revenge brewing in all of us. It is a step toward healing. It is one way of saying we care about people, rather than allowing fear to warp us into becoming terrorists ourselves. It is a spiritual journey back to the Source, allowing love to replace all the armies of fear within and without.

Today, our affirmation will be: “My love is stronger than my fear. Love will prevail.”

In the Spirit,

Jane