All you need is love

Today at work one of our mares aborted.  She was in her 7th month of pregnancy (horses have a gestation period of about 11 months, so she was just starting her third trimester, to put it into perspective for the non-horsey folk).  This particular mare is very old and was a high risk pregnancy, so sometimes these things just happen.  But it still sucks.

The mare had a pretty difficult time with the abortion (the fetus was incorrectly positioned) and required a lot of assistance from us.  When the still-born baby finally came out, it was about the size of a medium lamb, maybe 40 lbs or so, and the mare tried desperately to get to her new baby (she was restrained so that she could not get to it).  She knew immediately that something was very, very wrong and became so distressed that we had to heavily sedate her for both her safety and our own.  It was truly heart wrenching to watch.  If a horse, an animal, can become so distressed over the loss of her baby, I cannot imagine the pain of losing a human child that is likely (hopefully) the most important thing in your world.

Everywhere we turn this week, we are overwhelmed by the tragedy in Newtown, CT.  The news.  Social media.  Conversation.  The papers.  Political rants about gun control.  Heart-felt outpourings of grief and sadness.  Desperate cries for answers.  Religious posts about prayer and faith.

All week long my heart has been overwhelmed by the sad, sad truth that we live in an utterly broken world tainted with evil (Ephesians 5:15-16; 1 John 5:19; Ephesians 6:12).  That is an undeniable fact.  Unfortunately we see it every day.  War.  Oppression.  Murder.  Sex trades.  Liars.  Thieves.

I have quietly absorbed all of the political discussions and passionate "calls to action" over the past week.  And I agree with the one underlying statement from all parties, no matter where they stand.  And that is a call for change.  Something needs to change.  But what?  Gun laws?  Mental health care?  Security measures?

Will any of those one things stop evil from occurring?  Sadly, no.  The world needs love.  Laws will always be broken, and people will always fall short in some capacity, but true love will never fail.  The kind of love that Romans 12 talks about.  The kind of selfless love for others, for your community, for your world, that does not allow the Satan any room to enter.

And while there is much pain in the world as a result of its brokenness, there is hope in the midst of this hurt, and life in the midst of death.  I have hope for this world, and faith that a new kingdom is coming, because my Father has promised it to me.  I have faith that great things and great loves will rise from the ashes of this tragedy.  Yes, there is evil in this world, but there is also a Savior who gives us the ability to conquer this world (Ephesians 6:10-17; Galatians 1:4-5) and to live with hope and faith and love instead of drowning in despair and being overtaken by darkness!

I know there are those of you who aren't Christians and will probably read this and think that myself and many others singing this same song are being "too religious."  And that's fine.  You are entitled to your opinions and beliefs, just as I am entitled to mine.  I know that Christ is my hope and my salvation, that I can do nothing of value apart from him, and that I find my rest in him.  But regardless of your beliefs, I dare anyone to tell me this world doesn't need more love in it.  Because we all know that it does.

So that is my challenge to you.  Instead of posting passionate views about gun control on social media, post about how to love the world.  Post encouragement instead of starting political arguments.  I'm not saying that political discussions don't need to happen, but I am saying that love is a more powerful tool that needs to be at the heart of all changes our country is facing.

I have hope for the future of our world, because I have the confidant faith that a new kingdom is coming, where there will be no evil.  Want to know a fun bit of irony?  The mare that aborted today..... her name was Hope :)

So much love,
AP

Lighthearted food for thought!:
The tragedy of first position