So, I was on my way to pick up my
lunch, and found myself stopped at a red light behind one person. We were in
the right lane, where I was prepared to turn right, but the person in front of
me was going straight, and therefore, was stopped. Although I was in no particular hurry
(I mean, really – who is in a hurry to grab a couple McDoubles from
McDonalds?), I found myself annoyed at this driver for having the nerve to be
in front of me and wanting to go straight instead of turning, thereby keeping me from turning and moving on. He or she was
obviously just trying to mess with me and ruin my day. What did I do to deserve this? They could choose to
turn, so that I could then turn. Or, they could just not be there at all. But no
. . . they just HAD to be right there in front of me, wanting to go straight,
preventing me from turning right a moment or two sooner. How dare they!
That is when I thought it: “Man, I HATE when people do this.”
As soon as the thought concluded in my mind, in the midst of my frustration, I was suddenly taken aback. I thought to myself: “Really? . . . you HATE when this happens? You HATE that person for doing this?”
I hate illness. I hate injustice. I hate verbal abuse. I hate sexual abuse. I hate abuse of women. I hate abuse of children. I hate abuse of any kind. I hate that there are people who go without food every day. I hate that my Lord’s name is used in conjunction with war cries. I hate that some children will never know their father. I hate that some people use the Bible (often incorrectly and out of context) to hurt, harm or hold other people down. I hate that people around the world are driven by some unknown force (socio-economic disparities, zealous religions, racism, etc) to harm and kill other people. I hate that my kids have to be told to not talk to strangers. I hate greed. I hate disease. I hate human trafficking. I hate that people claim to be Christians yet condemn others. I hate paying taxes (But, as a former pastor of mine once said, “Paying taxes is a good thing. It means you’re making money!” I can’t argue with that, but still – does anyone really LIKE it? Ha.). I hate that I feel the need to set an alarm system in my house. I hate that the allure of the dollar is often more convincing and influential than doing what is right. I hate that people are walking around in this life without knowing how much Jesus truly loves them. I hate evil. I hate the devil. I hate that good people are sometimes too scared to do the right thing. I hate when people take truth and twist it into something else to suit their own goals. I hate that there is so much hatred and injustice in the world, yet I am so focused on my own little life.
That is when I thought it: “Man, I HATE when people do this.”
As soon as the thought concluded in my mind, in the midst of my frustration, I was suddenly taken aback. I thought to myself: “Really? . . . you HATE when this happens? You HATE that person for doing this?”
I hate illness. I hate injustice. I hate verbal abuse. I hate sexual abuse. I hate abuse of women. I hate abuse of children. I hate abuse of any kind. I hate that there are people who go without food every day. I hate that my Lord’s name is used in conjunction with war cries. I hate that some children will never know their father. I hate that some people use the Bible (often incorrectly and out of context) to hurt, harm or hold other people down. I hate that people around the world are driven by some unknown force (socio-economic disparities, zealous religions, racism, etc) to harm and kill other people. I hate that my kids have to be told to not talk to strangers. I hate greed. I hate disease. I hate human trafficking. I hate that people claim to be Christians yet condemn others. I hate paying taxes (But, as a former pastor of mine once said, “Paying taxes is a good thing. It means you’re making money!” I can’t argue with that, but still – does anyone really LIKE it? Ha.). I hate that I feel the need to set an alarm system in my house. I hate that the allure of the dollar is often more convincing and influential than doing what is right. I hate that people are walking around in this life without knowing how much Jesus truly loves them. I hate evil. I hate the devil. I hate that good people are sometimes too scared to do the right thing. I hate when people take truth and twist it into something else to suit their own goals. I hate that there is so much hatred and injustice in the world, yet I am so focused on my own little life.
I hate that I am so easily ensnared by anger, fear, frustration and insecurity.
To the driver of that Jeep today . . . I don’t hate you. I love you, because Jesus loves you.
Proverbs 10:12 . . . "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins."
Proverbs 15:1 . . . "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
1 John 3:15 . . . "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer . . ."
No comments:
Post a Comment