Marin Luther King Jr longed for us to build and become a "Beloved Community." In his final book, Where Do We Go From Here, published just before his assassination in 1968, King reflected on the impact the fight for civil rights had on the nation. There had been victories in the fight for equality. But eliminating racism and hatred would be no easy task. Pursuing such an objective would require us to answer several questions.
Will we choose the chaos of violence and hatred or will we choose community? Will we destroy one another or build together the hopeful future we envision?
In this pursuit, MLK recognized the relationship between power and love. The connection between the two is often misunderstood. Power is often only seen as evil and love is not, basically. But power and love can work together. They must work together. "Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic," the reverend said.
That notion didn't originate with our country's internal battles. We see it play out in the story of Esther.
Haman had power, but he used it only for himself. His jealousy of one man drove him to plot the annihilation of an entire race of people. Reckless and abusive don't even begin to adequately portray his intentions. Haman's self-love, though, proved to be no match for the care and compassion Esther has for her people. As the queen, she had a position of power, but she did not see it as a means for her own security.
Plus, her uneasiness with the king reminds us of the danger of pursuing power for its own sake. While she seemed to understand the volatile relationship with power, Haman did not. He cozied up to with no problem while it was beneficial. Then, in one moment, he learned how quickly it can turn on you.
It wasn't Esther's position that saved the people. Anyone could have been queen. What saved them was Esther's choice. Although fearful and shaky, she bravely chose community. May we have the courage to do the same.
Stay blessed...john |
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