Legalized Hate

Hatred seems to be the new normal. You can’t just disagree with the President; you have to hate him. You can’t just hate him, you have to also hate his family, friends, and staff. If you love the President, you have to hate those who hate him. It’s the new normal.

Hate is a breeder. Hate begets hate. Hate causes others to hate the haters.

Hate is insatiable. Hate creates a hardened and closed heart.

Lost people – people who do not know God, have to fight against their nature to hate. God, on the other hand, IS Love. His children have His nature…and the mind of Christ…and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. So, love is actually our nature. We children of God have to make a choice to hate.

Ouch.

Have Christians legalized some forms of hate? Hmm. Good question. We can hate certain sports teams. That’s legal now. We can hate bad drivers. We can hate political leaders – those past and those present. We can hate celebrities. We can even hate certain pastors or churches. Oh, well, we don’t say we hate them. We cloak our hate by saying, “I can’t stand…” rather than, “I hate…”

Ouch.

Jesus told us the root of hate in the believer. He said if you know you have been forgiven much, you will love much. How much of a screw up are you? I’m guessing you are an accomplished one. We all are in some area. I readily admit it – I’m a stinker. Don’t be smug – you are, too. We don’t want to be, but we are. It’s easy to get comfortable in our failures, forgetting that Jesus forgave us of “much.”

If you’re a Christian, all you have to do is choose to not hate, and let your “love much” nature be free to love the stinkers and the saints. Jesus said you haven’t accomplished anything if you love those who love you, who have the currency necessary to purchase your love.

Let me encourage you to walk away from hate. Start with sports. Yikes. Yes, sports. Stop hating your rival teams. You can support your team without having to hate their opponents (and/or the refs). Stop hating drivers. According to illegal substance use statistics, most drivers you encounter will be under the influence at the most and stressed out or fear-filled at the least. Stop hating politicians. Instead, overcome evil with good. Start to believe that, where sin abounds, grace super abounds, and start praying for grace to overpower sin in our nation.

Let’s not have armored hearts. Let us have tender, welcoming ones. Like our Father’s heart.

Yes, I will read this blog to myself, because it’s just as easy for hate to hang in my closet, waiting for me to choose to wear it each morning. I – we – we believers just have to remember that we are already clothed. We are clothed in love. Already. There’s no need to change garments.

Hate may be legal – in the nation and in the church. But, we don’t have to let it stay that way. As we head toward Valentine’s Day (and, even better, Resurrection Sunday), how about we just be who we are – children of the God Who IS love, and let’s see if love truly is “the greatest of”?