Tired of Hate

I have grown very tired of hate. I don't want it in my life anymore, I don't want to be around people who are hateful, I don't want to have to see it every time I turn on the TV. Yet the media pushes hate more than anything. Facebook pages that used to have great humor, now only seems to be spreading hate news. They may not be the ones hating, but they share the stories about someone hating on someone else. People often use passive hate when the believe something else someone doesn't. I'm looking at you politics... "Oh those stupid (pick a side)-wing nuts." Hate is popular. Hate sells. Hate sadly is.

Completely unrelated picture just so this blog had one. :)

Everyone hates, I know I do. There are two parts of me in my head, one of them sees a person, talks to them, and thinks to itself, I can see why God would love this person. It tries to share in the love that God has for every person on this planet. (And elsewhere, because I believe God also saved the aliens or will when the time is right.) I smile and get all sappy because it feels good to love, and not judge any part of this person. The other part says, "Ugh, shut up already and go away." Guess which side is more common? Sadly this is very much how the world sees other people.

If YOU agree with them, (Never them agree with you) then they will love you forever. But if you disagree with them or they disagree with you, (Why are these two things not the same?) then they will hate you, and unless you change your mind, then it will stay that way. It is easy to hate someone at anytime. It's hard to love someone completely even at the best of times. I am reminded of lyrics of a Showbread song, "It's easier to speak your mind when the world loves what you have to say."

I want to feel more love toward people. I have grown to be aware of my hate, and though as I am aware, I cannot stop myself from doing it. And then it occurred to me why hate is the norm now. It is easy. Loving someone you like can be hard at times, but loving someone you don't like, that is near impossible. But as Christians, we should be loving everyone and if we really loved everyone, then we would not dislike anyone. But our personalities sometimes clash with people, but that should never stop our love for them.

So how do we love more if it is harder. Practice, hard work, and a healthy dose of Jesus. If someone came and beat my loved ones, or me even. I do not think I would be able to love them, yet Jesus did. He cried out to God to forgive them. I call myself a follower of Christ, yet I cannot do it. I cannot follow his love he had for everyone. I am tired, weary of hating. Yet it is all I can do sometimes. Though they are few, the moments when I look at someone and think to myself, I bet God loves that aspect of this person, maybe I should too, I feel a completeness like none other.

I guess that is why we need to cling to the Gospel like we have nothing else. In fact, we do not have anything else. When we die, we lose everything we have ever had here. Nothing can go with us beyond the final call of Death. That is, nothing but the pure love of God for his creation. It is with this love that we will awake new and whole. That is the power of Love.

Hate is leading the world through darker and darker times, yet all around us, there is a light that, if we are willing to look at, will heal all the hate in the world. God's love is the only love that can break down the walls that divide the world today.