“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
I am, generally, an upbeat and positive person. Oh, sure, I take a fair share of lumps, sometimes more than I feel that I deserve; but, I generally bounce back quickly. There are other times, however, when I am brought down and remain “in the pits”. This has been happening to me more often these past months. It seems that our world has taken a turn — a wrong turn, mind you — onto the one-way street labeled “hate”.
If you watch the news, you can easily hear opinions that could be labeled as “hate” without any hesitation at all. Read the newspapers and you find the same. If you want to jump into a “hatefest”, hang out on social media. Facebook and Twitter both abound with hateful messages.
What does all of this hate do? Nothing good. It just contributes to a spiral of hate. One person writes something hateful and another person immediately ups the ante with something more hateful. If a person believes that his or her hateful message is going to “win” any argument, that person is sorely mistaken. Hate just ramps up the hate.
As I see all of this taking place, my heart breaks. We are only on this earth for a short time. Why allow hate to ruin the days we have on earth. God calls us to a Kingdom of light and peace and happiness. We should be attempting to live as citizens of that Kingdom while here on earth. There is no room in the heart of a true Christian for hatred.
The only thing that can destroy hatred is love. Pure love. Unconditional love. Sacrificial love. The kind of love that Jesus modeled is the only love that can save us all.
I do not understand how people can hold hate in their hearts the way that they do. It clouds the mind and darkens the vision. Physically, hate eats away at people. It causes heart disease, high blood pressure, and a host of other ills.
God desires peace for us. If we long for that peace, we must to reject hatred.
FAITH ACTION: Make sure that all of your words and actions are fueled by love today.