God is Love – Howard Thurman

In the midst of the divisiveness, fear, and hate-mongering that I see today, these words from the great mystic and theologian Howard Thurman ring true. May we never lose sight of this lesson in faith from Thurman.

The final thing that my faith teaches me is that God is love. Not only that He is; not only that he is near; but that he is love. Fully do I realize how difficult this is. There is so much anguish in life, so much misery unmerited, so much pain, so much downright reflective hell everywhere that it sometimes seems to me that it is an illusion to say that God is love. When one comes into close grips with the perversity of personalities, with studied evil—it might be forgiven one who cries aloud to the Power over Life—human life is stain—blot it out! I know all that. I know that society stretches out like a gaping sore that refuses to be healed. I know that life is often heartless, hard as pig iron. And yet, in the midst of all this I affirm my faith that God is love—whatever else He might be. (Barren or Fruitful?—A sermon from 1932 in the book 40-Day Journey with Howard Thurman, p.40)