Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up trouble; love overlooks the wrongs that others do.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In the last few months, I’ve become more aware of the use of the word “hate.” We so casually say, “Oh, I hate such-and-such.” Or “So-and-so hates me!” And maybe we don’t literally mean “hate” – but use of this word leaves room for a lot of misinterpretation… and the Bible warns us not to operate in hate. In truth, this word shouldn’t be in our vocabulary!
Newton’s law of motion says for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. For hate, the equal/opposite reaction is love. For negativity, this reaction is positivity. It’s time for us to “spin the dial”, so to speak. It’s time for us to start operating in love and positives rather than hate and negativity. Instead of seeing the glass half empty, we need to see it half full.
We must learn to look for the good in others. We must learn to see them as children of God, not the devil’s agents. We must try to find a positive side to situations we deem hopeless or unpleasant. One exercise that has helped me lately is to view others through the eyes of a parent. Every single person we encounter was once someone’s precious baby. We all know how cute and adorable babies are… how we overlook their flaws and stand ready to gently correct them and forgive them.
If you will stop and picture the person or persons involved in a situation you are drawn to “hate” as a once innocent baby or toddler, you will be more apt to find a loving solution. How would you correct the youngster? How much would you be willing to tolerate and “love away?” What is different now? Sure, the older we get, the more responsible we must become for our actions. But the principle of finding a loving solution still applies.
In everything we do, we are called to look at others with God’s eyes… to see HIS child – the one He loves – and to find a peaceful solution to the problem. Operating in hate is a tool of the devil… not our Heavenly Father. Who are you emulating these days? Whose tools are in your arsenal?
©2010 Debbie Robus
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