We know that the power of the adversary can be crushing. His influence can bind us and bring us to a place where we are nearly immobilized. But have we noticed that love can be so powerful that it, too, can almost crush us. This beautiful spiritual influence can bring us to a place where we feel so much love that we are nearly immobilized.
I have felt the crushing power of love many times in my life:
Each time I held a new baby in my arms, it was as if I was holding a new bundle of love. My instant love for this new life was so great I could hardly contain it.
I felt this love yesterday in Sacrament meeting when I witnessed the blessing of Tylee Baldenado. Two rows of family sat in support of this new little one. Their love filled the chapel and the spirit again stirred in and reminded me that love can bind and it can heal. It is a power that can change lives.
I have felt this love on a beautiful summer day while hiking among the wild flowers and smelling the raw dirt of the earth.
I have felt it as I have watched the snow blanket the earth and brighten the night.
I have felt it in the temple while witnessing a family kneeling at the altar, being sealed together forever. Or as I have watched a grieving woman seek peace as she puts on her white clothing to worship.
I have felt it as I have read a missionary letter.
I have felt it as I have placed my hand on my heart and sung the national anthem.
The spirit of love is a beautiful gift and in every case, it countermands the adversary! He simply loses his power in the presence of crushing love.
This past week-end I again felt the crushing power of love. I stood at the side of my sister as she buried her husband. The genuine expressions of love that poured from the many friends and family members who shared her grief were overwhelming. This great love built a wall of protection and engulfed us in a protective covering that could not be penetrated. It is at times like this that I feel I will simply implode. The love is so great I cannot contain it! I simply do not have the capacity to contain it all!
So grateful am I to know the Crushing Power of Love.
Kathy, this is beautiful. You captured something that I think many of us have felt at one time or another. Sunday was a wonderful example of that overwhelming love that comes from families.
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