Hate is a topic we would all probably like to avoid. At least I find it an uncomfortable subject to face in my own life. I am reading a chapter from Proverbs every day and landed on the 10th chapter. I wanted to move on to something else and twice the word hatred emerges from the text. "Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs." We like to focus on love covering all wrongs, but facing our hatred is quite uncomfortable. I mentioned before how my parents had hurt me and I had become bitter. When confronted with a teaching on forgiveness, I forgave them and I do not believe I ever hated them. However, I did have a relationship in which a person deeply hurt me. "Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool." I hope to use discretion in this dialog so as not to "slander" anyone. I did try to conceal it; it was embarrassing to admit I hated someone. I had not been betrayed by someone and did not know how to handle it. I did not stop the bitterness from turning into hatred. Finally, I forgave the person. I still have to forgive that person from time to time as the memory comes up more often than I would like. The devil seems to give the memory a boost. Sometimes I get angry at the person about the hurt and then I have to ask God for forgiveness. The primary way to break the bond of hatred is to forgive. Ignoring does not help, the thought keeps coming back. Trying to forget does not help, the memory comes back. Forgiving is so simple, yet alludes us so much.
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