SHE HAD A REPUTATION—AND IT LOOKED LIKE SHE WAS GOING TO LIVE UP to it. Notorious for being difficult, rude, and sometimes downright nasty, this woman exhibited all of the above behavior as my writing partner and I attempted (repeatedly) to meet with her about a potential assignment. And she was the one who had sought us out!
With each unpleasant episode, my disgust grew, until I found myself feeling what might not have been hatred, exactly, but certainly a member of its immediate family. The project was a good one, though, and she was known for high-quality work. So we decided to persevere.
At long last, we made it all the way to her waiting room, where we sat for over an hour, a seething cauldron of antipathy burbling beneath me. But I didn't want to feel this way. Finally, I reached out to God.
"Father," I said humbly, earnestly, pleadingly. "Help me to see this woman the way You see her."
Just then, she walked through the door and mumbled something not-too-contrite about being tied up with a well-known celebrity. Neither her words nor her tone led to the epiphany that followed. I think it was just God answering my prayer. Because in that moment I sensed that this woman felt completely overwhelmed, bogged down by the demands of her high-powered job. And my heart filled with compassion for her. I knew it wasn't my own compassion—something I'd somehow managed to manufacture in the midst of all that disgust. It was God's compassion. More than just showing me how He saw this woman, He was showing me how He felt about her. And because I'm His expression, it was natural for me to feel it, too.
At that moment, our relationship completely transformed. We had a delightful meeting, agreed to take the job, and once it was completed, found ourselves being offered other assignments by this woman. But more than that, every single contact we had over the course of the next several years was characterized by mutual appreciation and goodwill. To this day, friends marvel that our association with her was so relentlessly positive.
When you think about all the hatred in the world today, our experience might seem modest. But I treasure it, because it showed me how quickly and completely God can stop evil in its tracks. And it gives me hope that the power of divine Love can—and will—do the same for every individual burdened by the belief of hatred.
As this month's cover story explains, that same all-powerful Love is always present to save each one of us from the effects of hatred—whichever side of the equation we find ourselves on. That's because the nature of Love is infinite. It fills all space. So, in reality, there's nothing that could possibly prevent it from expressing itself.
All we have to do is let Love be Love. And healing and reconciliation will follow.
Managing Editor
