Bring on peace

I really enjoy having daily calendars with inspirational quotes. It can make such a difference in my day. One day this week my Mary Engelbreit calendar included a quote from musician Jimi Hendrix: "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, there will be peace."

Ah, that's excellent. We surely see lots of signs of the love of power around us—particularly as the presidential campaign heats up way ahead of the 2016 elections. All the blathering and positioning as candidates try to claw their way to the top of a large pile are clear signs of this. That's not to say that some candidates don't care about their constituents. But, in my humble opinion, there are many signs of a real hunger for power.

We don't even need to look that far away to see the love of power. We can look inside ourselves, inside our families, communities and churches—and see power plays and political one-upping going on, particularly if we're honest with ourselves.

We may not be able to do anything about the love of power at the national political level. But we can make changes in our own lives and in our family life so that the power of love is what's strongest. Love means letting down our defenses with each other, being vulnerable, being willing to consider what's good for others, encouraging one another and providing support to others when tough times come calling. Love is extremely powerful. Hendrix was right: Love really can bring on peace. See what a difference the power of love can make in your life today!