LOVE!?
While I was serving my duty in the Army in Viet Nam I was approached by two men who were in my unit and they invited me to walk outside of our hootch (living quarters) and when we got outside they walked me over to the end of our sidewalk, to where we were over looking the mess tent (dining facility) and the surrounding compound that we called home. It was around 4:30PM or 5 and the sun was slowly fading out of sight, and as we stood there looking around us the two men asked me one question: ìDo you know Sargent Pinkerton what our problem is?î I responded with, ìNo!, what do you think our problem is?î
At this time they both put their arms around my neck and began to sing: ìWHAT THE WORLD NEEDS, NOW IS LOVE TRUE LOVE, THATíS THE ONLY THING THAT THERES JUST TOO LITTLE OF!î I agreed with them then I took them to the NCO club and bought them each a round of beer. Little did I know that at that time there was a God in Heaven who was looking down at me in that place and was watching over me to preserve me in all my ways. Too bad I didn’t know Him back then.
Now that incident took place sometime back in 1970, during the time that I was the lead guy on the Gun Truck ìSNOOPY IIî and was in charge of weapons and men to maintain security of vehicles and men in convoys up and down the highways and roadways of south Viet Nam, delivering goods of all kinds to troops throughout country. Not only during convoys but we were also responsible for giving defensive protective firepower in the protection of our compound while we were at base station.
Now, remember, this song that was sung to me took place at our barracks in Base Camp in 1970. Now move forward to 1990, 20 years later, after I had surrendered my life to the Lord Jesus Christ. One night as I was sound asleep in my bed, in my house, I had a vision come to me; this vision was an elderly African-American Woman, her face came to me in my sleep time and spoke to me asking: ìDo you know what’s wrong with You?î In my slumber I responded with: ìNo what is wrong with me?î She said: ìYou don’t Love! You don’t eat Love, drink Love, sleep Love, you just don’t Love. You must ask the Father to show You what is and how to Love.î
At that precise moment I slid out of my bed and onto my knees beside my bed and asked the Lord to teach me about Love, His Love. Shortly after that I was sitting at my desk at home reading the Bible as I did normally and I felt the Spirit talking to me in the wind that flowed through the room that night. The message that came to me was that it was time to forgive and seek forgiveness. I asked, forgive who and ask forgiveness from whom?î It was at that time that I felt two soft and gentle hands on each side of my head, and they gently turned my head in the direction of the wall on my immediate left side. There I had hung a cork board for notes and on the board was the obituary column from my Dad’s funeral.
To me this was strange because I knew that my Dad was dead, and as far as I knew he was in hell, away from the Lord because of the lifestyle he lived while he was alive. However, what I felt, thought, believed or thought I knew did not matter at that moment. I said to the Lord that I couldn’t speak to my Dad because of what the Bible said that there was a divide between them and me. Then the VOICE came out of the wind and said, ìYou need not know where he is, it is not yours to know nor is it for you to ask or consider, but to forgive and ask for forgiveness.î I then asked what do I have to ask forgiveness for, and the VOICE said: ìDo you think you were perfect?î At that point I fell to my knees and asked my Dad for his forgiveness and I told him that I forgive him; it was at the time that I felt a washing of my being.
It was a feeling that I will never forget because I could feel anger, hatred, malice, fear, embarrassment, and shame fall from me. I felt WHOLE for the first time ever in my life. It was sometime later that the Lord began teaching me what the Elderly Lady meant when she spoke to me about Love.
1 Corinthians 12:31 ñ 13:13
12:31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts.
And I show you a more excellent way.
13:1-13
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE
13:13 But now abide faith, hope, love, these
Three; but the greatest of these is LOVE.
14:1 PURSUE LOVE
With me and my walk it has been about Love; Love for the Father, Love for the Son, Love for the Holy Spirit, and Love for Mankind. As God SO LOVED THE WORLD, let us not grow weary in Love for one another.
PRAY THIS PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I come asking you to teach me
About Your Love, let me learn how to Love
Without anger, malice, hatred, jealousy, or high
Mindedness, just Your Agape Love for others.
I want to know You and Your ways.
And I Thank You in advance for this.
In the Name of Jesus Christ I Pray
AMEN! †
Pastor Larry Pinkerton