The Habit of Hate
Love takes work. Hate is a natural glide down to the pit.
The difference between hate and anger is that anger is an emotional response and hate is an intellectual one.
I’m not saying hate is intelligent.
Far from it.
But hate is the result of a particular thinking sequence.
It is premeditated and results in a judgement.
And once judgement is decided within the workings of the cognitive part of the brain then certain actions are set to follow automatically.
No longer is there a mental space to consider contradictory evidence.
That court has adjourned.
That boat has sailed.
Now all that is left is to punish the perpetrator.
This legitimizes murder in the mind of the hater.
Why not? Because now it is intellectually justified and there is nothing requiring reexamination.
People who are not into hate, who have at some point in their lives awakened to the reality of their own imperfections and fear God, have trouble grasping the thinking and action of haters.
None of it to them makes any sense.
And that’s my point.
Hate is the opposite of making sense. It clouds the mind and too often captures it completely.
And hate sadly grows over time.
From a small seed planted, like faith’s mustard seed, it grows completely out of control destroying all good life around it.
When we confront hate in ourselves or others there is only one way back that I think works.
Let me state in three ways.
Resist the temptation to hate by not judging what is not ours to judge.
Detach with love.
Put on the whole armor of God.
Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
Luke 6:37 (ESV)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,