“Love Your Enemies,” MLK Jr Speech For Our Time

As I watched the events at the Capitol breech unfold, I honestly was not surprised. The division in our country is completely out of control and the events reflected these conditions. Perhaps it was the timing of Martin Luther King Jr’s remembrance in the weeks that followed, but a sermon came strongly to mind entitled, “Love Your Enemies.” As I listened to the speech, I felt MLK was speaking directly to our nation, directly to our government and to each citizen’s good heart. A few quotes stood out:  

Now first let us deal with this question, which is the practical question: How do you go about loving your enemies? I think the first thing is this: In order to love your enemies, you must begin by analyzing self. 

When there is hate within us that has not cared for, it will spill out onto everyone in its path, same goes for fear, and any other strong, unchecked emotion. MLK goes on to offer two more how-to’s and the next is perhaps my favorite:

A second thing that an individual must do in seeking to love his enemy is to discover the element of good in his enemy, and every time you begin to hate that person and think of hating that person, realize that there is some good there and look at those good points which will over-balance the bad points. 

I have been saddened by the criticizing, sneering and dehumanizing of the hurt people pouring their pain out onto the streets, into businesses and now into our nation’s capitol. Are we listening? Are we trying to understand their concerns? Or shutting them down due to intolerance? 

Another way that you love your enemy is this: When the opportunity presents itself for you to defeat your enemy, that is the time which you must not do it. 

Love does not mudd-sling, love does not kick when a person is down. MLK orates to perfection, building and infusing his words with moral integrity. In closing, he implores:

Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a descending spiral, ultimately ending in destruction for all and everybody. Somebody must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And you do that by love.

On this day, dedicated to a heroic and beautiful man, please enjoy Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words and allow them to penetrate into your being, into your response and fortitude. His is the greatest call ~ to love one’s enemy in this time of division as we prepare for inauguration and changing of the guard.