While I was reading Calvin Miller’s memoir, the news media reported the death of John Perkins. It occurred to me that both men learned something profound about love.
Pastor Miller splashed into the literary scene with The Singer Trilogy (1975). It is a poetic work in which the Singer and the Song are an allegory of Christ’s love. A reviewer wrote, “Miller, himself, is the troubadour, singing a love song to his Lord.”
Miller might not have written it but for a fiery dispute in his church a few years prior. (Pastors have a tough job!) He endured the low pay, rising criticism, and a persistent antagonist. One day he discovered his wife weeping. This shocked him into seeing he was in bondage to his desire for approval by the church. His family was paying the price. What he thought was love for the church was actually his own pride.
He decided to resign. His sermon that Sunday began with, “I’m ashamed of you people!” By the end of the message, he was weeping – so were most in the congregation as they repented and reconciled with him. Miller and his wife learned a profound and liberating lesson, which changed their priorities. He wrote, “We put our love for Christ and for each other above our need to be accepted by anyone.” Miller continued as their pastor for two more decades in light of this truth: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).
John Perkins learned the liberating power of love as a persecuted black man in the segregated South. His mother died of starvation soon after his birth in 1930. His father disappeared. He endured economic exploitation. His older brother was murdered. After becoming a husband and father, Perkins was beat almost to death and permanently scarred. He had reasons to hate.
But he did not. “If I had not met Jesus,” he said, “I would have died carrying that heavy burden of hate to my grave.” Lesson learned: Hate mars the hater, not the hated. His love of neighbor and enemy alike made him fearless in starting multiple ministries to serve and lift people. “God calls us to love the people who have hurt us,” he said. “If we are to help others understand who Jesus is, our own lives must reflect His character and love.” His book, Love is the Final Fight, (2010) explores the theme of reconciliation.
Love is the liberating elixir. It has the power to vanquish the emotional baggage handed to you by whoever (fellow believer, former spouse, abusive boss, political opponent). To love is to be unafraid to wish them well. (Even though they are sinners like you!) “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11).