Loveable

 May 19, 2020

Loveable (I prefer this variant spelling- how about you?)

“To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.”
― G.K. Chesterton

 

 

As your pastor, I’m ready to tell you that the above quote is hopefully our practice. But at other times it’s just a goal. While still at other times the above quote is a mix of achievement or progress, each thing being its own hurdle.

 

But the wording in our quote seems rather absolute, describing the utmost practice of 4 words- love, forgiveness, faith, and hope.

 

As a person drawn to faith, I have been shown that love without the ability to love the unlovable is really just favor, not love. I’ve experienced forgiveness to be hollow, unless applied to inexcusable behavior. I have found faith powerless until we cast aside our despair. And hope, it shivers in the face of total uncertainty until it finally goes for broke.

 

Love, forgiveness, faith and hope are powerful and attainable when we can set aside selfishness. And as I suggested above, we can’t always master them. That’s why we have one another. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of a “beloved community” where there would be an “understanding” and a “redeeming goodwill for all”. He longed for such a community to be realized one day for the entire globe. Maybe we could start right here.

 

Loving the unlovable, pardoning the unpardonable, believing the unbelievable, hoping in the presence of hopelessness.

 

I know it’s hard, but I also know it can be done.

You are powerful

And brilliant

And funny

And gracious.

 

Rev. Ken