Overcoming hate with love

I don’t know if I am super qualified to speak on this topic. I am always thankful the kind of heart God gave me especially as regards forgiveness but I have once wished someone dead even if it was for a fleeting second. Not for directly hurting me but for hurting close family members and trust me when I prayed the small prayer in my heart it was clearly because I had heard messages on ‘whoever has to go for you to…will go’. We all know that kind of prayer or we have probably prayed.

As hard as it may seem what God wants is for us to pray for our enemies and in as much as it isn’t specified what sort of prayer, I don’t think it is a prayer of death. In fact, God wills that all men be saved not killed. And this is why I feel this way:

Mat.5.43.asv Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy:

Luk.6.35.asv But love your enemies, and do them good, and lend, never despairing; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.

Mat.5.44.asv but I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you;

Luk.6.27.asv But I say unto you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you,

From these scriptures – do you still think God wants you to wish death on your enemies? All God wants from us is to love them by loving them I don’t think you have to be in close contact with those who wish to harm you.

I haven’t felt ‘hate’ for someone, maybe because of teachings from childhood about ‘hate’ but I haven’t particularly liked a ‘few’ people or their attitude.

I have learned to override these feelings and I didn’t learn some of these ways on my own but by the help of God. I have decided to share how I have been able to overcome the feelings of hurt or dislike to love which can be applicable to turning hate into love.

TALK

When someone hurts me or I believe I am having hard feelings towards such an individual, I talk to God about it. You can’t hide your hate or dislike from God. So be as candid with him as possible. I usually start like this – This individual has hurt me and I feel this way towards him or her, I don’t know if I can heal or forgive him/her…At such times in the process of saying how I feel, I get relieved and I find myself filled with God’s love, not my love. Who am I when I see such overwhelming love God has for me and not reciprocate to those around me. Even those who don’t seem to deserve it. We never deserved God’s love in the first place. Talking can be similar to praying but I find that talking is more expressive.

SERVICE

Aha! I have learned to do this as unpleasing as it may seem sometimes. Remember Jesus washed the feet of Judas. When I start having a feeling I know I shouldn’t have towards someone, I try to do things for them. In fact, I consciously put myself in the place to help. This is not always applicable. Imagine going to serve someone who raped you? So be led as to when to serve. Consciously decide to serve or show love to this person who seems to be unlikable.

POSITIVE THOUGHTS

Once in school, I noticed I was picking up this particular trait of looking at someone and thinking negative thoughts. So immediately I decided to fight such thoughts as soon as I noticed. I would think up five attributes I liked about such an individual, sometimes physical attributes and before getting to the last I would have been smiling and complimenting the person positively. Many times I have said ‘oh this person is actually a nice/beautiful individual’.

See Also

Three Compelling Reasons to Embrace Prayer Writing

FORGIVE

Forgiveness is key to love. You can’t love a person who you haven’t forgiven. Someone once wronged/hurt me and I discovered I couldn’t remember all the person did and I decided to write it down. I started writing a question welled up in me – Do you love this person? I said yes (not Eros kind of love). Then this scripture Love takes no account of wrongdoing popped in my head. I squeezed the paper and threw it away. That was it for me.

The love of God has been shared abroad in our heart (Rom 5:5). We can’t claim to love God and hate the people that we see (1 John 4:20). That is why we must walk in love and not hate.

I once watched a crossover service into 2013 and the Pastor gave a short exercise – He told the congregation to imagine their hurts as balloons and let go of them one after the other. In that service, they also brought in a coffin and everyone placed what they wanted to let go off in the coffin. I loved how it looked like a real burial – The undertakers were dressed in black suits (*they were probably just ushers). I understood what that event stood for.

Remember, that the one who let’s go is the stronger individual. So it is time to bury that hate and hurt and walk into 2016 with love, peace, and joy.

[bctt tweet=”Hate is for the weak and love is for the strong” username=”shalomtruthsmag”]

I love hearing from you. So, please leave a comment.