“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.” Attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I used to have no problem believing that hate and anger were okay, at least in certain justifiable cases. I had only been out of the Marine Corps for a few months when 52 Americans were taken hostage in Iran. I was ready, had we declared war, to go back in. How dare these godless bastards do something like this to my fellow countrymen. Let’s nuke them ‘til they glow then shoot them in the dark.
Hate and anger are negative, unwise emotions that can so insidiously ensnare us. After all, they are so wrong. They are hurting innocent people. They are totally untrustworthy. They cannot be reasoned with.
We always see them as deserving of our hatred and anger.
But Jesus is credited with saying, “Those who use the sword will be killed by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52 NLT) He is saying these words to His disciples as they are getting ready to fight against those who have come to arrest Jesus and lead Him away to His death. He is not saying these things to those coming to unjustly lead Him away.
Being guided by hate, fear, and anger is always an unwise and unskillful approach to any situation. It causes us to not only dehumanize those who may be doing wrong but also ourselves. We scar our own spirit and humanity. To give in to these negative emotions may bring about immediate, short-term satisfaction and solutions. However, the high cost that must be paid is the long-term damage to ourselves and lasting peace that will be paid.
To give in to these emotions also makes us easily susceptible to manipulation on the part of power hungry and greedy people who will capitalize on these feelings in us for their own selfish gain.
With every ounce of my being I will resist the urge to hate, even those of whom I could make the claim, “They deserve it.” I urge you to join me in this approach to life. We may not always be successful in accomplishing it. But it is always the wise approach.
Think about it.
You are loved. Peace.
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