Hate

 

 

"Hate is the battery acid of the heart..."

The process of freeing one's heart from hatred is without a doubt the biggest struggle we face as humans. As love is natural for God, hate has become natural for mankind. The act of hating has become easier for us than the act of loving. As love is a deliberate act, hate is something we can slide into easily. Yes, hate is a part of us until we decide to do something about it.

This is not meant to be a sermon as those who know me will attest to the fact that I have been a hater. It was easy to do and I was very good at it. Even as I learned in church that I should love my neighbor and not hate my fellow man, I could not do it. It all sounded good, but hate was easy - besides, it was justified.

One day when I was deep in rumination thinking bad thoughts about someone, I noticed something. I was not feeling well. It was like a tightening in my chest and a bad taste in my mouth. The more bad thoughts I had about someone and fantasies of some evil I would do, the worse I felt. Like a sudden bolt from Heaven, the answer came to me - hate, it seems, is a reverse emotion. I can hate a person with all my heart and it will not affect that person in the least - however, it will affect me. The caustic nature of hate is like battery acid in your heart. It will hurt you, sicken you, and maybe even kill you. Until you decide to do something about the constant drip, drip drip of this battery acid, the sickness continues and will worsen.

It was then I decided to listen to God and His Word. It freed my heart from hate. I will not hate any person ever again, I will not hate myself for mistakes I have made. In short, I learned how forgiveness and love will defeat hate and bitterness each time, every time.