Love One Another

Friday, January 9, 2015

Lawrence Kirkland Edwards, Jr. ^{(1917 – 1989)}, or “LK” as he was known in the tiny middle-Florida town of McIntosh, was an interesting fellow.  He was also something of a legend in Florida state politics back in the day.

LK was a state senator from 1955-1968, and served at least one term as speaker of the house.  He was also a member of the First Baptist Church, where I met him in 1983. 

You have to hunt the map between Ocala and Gainesville really hard to find Irvine, the wide spot in the road where LK was born and raised.  The old house was a bachelor residence after LK’s mother passed.  Sr. and Jr. lived without benefit of “feminine guidance” for some years. 

Then, in 1940, LK met and married Marjorie!  And the main house that hadn’t had a woman’s touch in a decade began to take on a new look!

On one of my visits to the rustic home, I remarked about how I really liked the look of the unfinished pine paneling in the sitting room.  LK acknowledged that the nearly perfect, knot-free pine had come from the acres of sheep pasture we were looking at; he then glanced past the doorway to the dining area with its lace-decorated table cloths, linens and French wallpaper.  With a sigh, the old man said, “Yup, love will make you do strange things.”

I’ve thought a lot about that statement over the past 30+ years.  While L.K. may have been referring to his inability to ever say “no” to whatever Marjorie wanted, still his statement carried a deeply-theological truth we have as part of our “Christian DNA”.

What makes a Mother Teresa give up everything to live among the poorest of Calcutta in India? 

What makes an impoverished widower save pennies for months so he can buy shoes for children he will never meet?  

What is it that drives some people to make sacrifices for others?  Even to the extent of giving up life so others might live? 

If the answer isn’t love, there isn’t an answer. 

As believers we live, worship, give and work because of the One who loved us enough to give His life for our eternity.

For You Today:

What will you do for love?  Some might call your gift “strange” – as in covering-over  fine, smooth pine with wallpaper. 

Some might call it the pull of heaven.

Call it what it is – love divine…all loves excelling..joy of heav’n to earth come down!  It’s just following the new commandment; we love because He did!