Faith | We can be agents of God’s love in our community

Every time I hear about another mass shooting, my heart sinks. I ask: How can I help stop the senseless killing?

Years ago, I stood face to face with a stranger spewing hatred and anger. He was fire-hot mad over a breakup with his girlfriend. Looking for a way to vent his anger, he found me alone in a storefront office.

Cornered in the room, facing a man twice my size, and only a desk between me and his hulking raging form, I feared for my life.

As I prayed for help, I decided to look him in the eye and see a child of God worthy of love.

I stayed calm, held my gaze to his, and loved him the best I knew. He continued to pound my desk and voice vitriol and ominous threats.

But after many minutes, he started to calm down. He kept talking. I listened. I shared some ideas I thought would help.

The anger and hate faded until it was gone. He found peace and became a friend who visited me for years to come.

When I pray for ways to help my community be a safer place, I recall how love reached this angry man and disarmed him of his rage and prevented, perhaps, something worse from happening.

Reasons for violence are many, and there is no simple answer to stop it. But his transformation reminds me of one way individuals who care can help.

By taking steps to help neighbors mired in anger and negativity find hope and peace, we can eliminate destructive thinking before it turns into harmful action.

For instance, if we see a neighbor spiraling downward in despair and desperation, we can show care. If we see a co-worker feeling betrayed and unheard, we can offer a listening ear and extend support.

If we see a child forgotten and alone, we can give attention to that child. If a family member is falling apart in a personal crisis, we can be alert for ways to shore them up.

We can be agents of love spreading understanding, compassion, and care throughout our neighborhoods.

Love is a powerful reformer.

“God is love,” (I John 4:8) the Bible states. The love of God is more than a human emotion. It’s more than a quality of the human mind. It is a divine power.

When we love a neighbor, we bring the power of God into their experience and increase their chances of feeling the peace of God that can help them find peace of mind.

Love does not ignore problems and pretend everything is okay when things are not OK. Love does not ignore evil and pretend like it doesn’t exist.

Love faces evil fearlessly and conquers it.

It is a divine intelligence that finds solutions, builds bridges, promotes understanding and respect. The touch of love consoles the struggling heart, comforts the lonely, calms the troubled thought. It brings peace of mind. It severs the roots of violence.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works” (Heb. 10:24, NLT). We are not helpless. The love we show others has a rippling effect throughout society, spreading from one individual to another as the compassion and love showed by one person inspires a neighbor nearby to treat their neighbor the same.

My heart still sinks when I read reports of shootings, but I refuse to let my thought get lost in dark anger and resentment. I rise in rebellion and pray for ways to help stop the shooting. I look for ways to help my neighbor’s thought stay in a healthy place.

I choose to love.