There are
people in our country whose sole public persona is one of hatred and outrage.
Journalists (you’ve read the news lately, haven’t you?) are full of hatred toward
duly-elected officials. Violent demonstrators display outrage at the proverbial
“drop of a pin” – and their outrage is aimed at the current president. Women “hate”
men (which has never made sense to me, since I live with one of the most
adorable men in this entire world!). There is a mistaken notion that people are
“entitled” to hate, speak rudely to conservatives, Christians, or anyone else
who disagrees with their opinion, and express outrage violently. The primary
issue is: Where does all this hate lead the hater?
People who
harbor hate in their hearts and minds – whether it is political, religious, or
the “social justice” type – often insinuate that there can be a resolution to
their hatred, if only things go their
way.
Here’s a summary of their thinking:
·
Something in life has not gone my way.
·
I am unhappy.
·
I need to make other people unhappy, too.
·
If I capture the ‘moral high ground’ – at least
verbally – I can make people change their actions to suit me.
·
Gosh! That doesn’t happen!
·
[Repeat original theory / actions.]
Result? Zero change. Zero progress. Zero peace.
If there’s one thing that modern medicine has demonstrated beyond question, it is this: Hatred leads
to a destroyed immune system; peace leads to health and – ultimately –
happiness.
The obvious choice, therefore, is to choose true peace. But –
surprise, surprise! – that is not what so many people choose! Let me offer my
own theory as to why this is true:
Life starts with God. It ends with God. In between birth and
death, God is in total control of everything. This is true, because God exists,
and God – by definition – is more powerful than any individual or group that
exists on this earth. People’s denial of God’s existence does not affect God one bit. I can deny that a person (who can
plainly be seen by my eyes) exists, but that does not affect the truth of that person’s existence. So it
is with God. Saint Paul wrote: “Ever since the creation of the world, His
eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been
understood and seen through the things He has made. So they are without excuse”
(Romans 1:20). In other words, the fact of the existence of our Creator is as
plain as the noses on our faces.
But people choose to either deny God’s existence, or to act
as though He has no claim on what we do. (Are you one of them? PLEASE don’t
stop reading!) What then? How is one to maintain a peaceful existence when an
all-powerful, merciful, just, and holy Being is “eliminated” from
consideration? We are left with only two alternatives:
1. We abandon all human interaction (including wife, family, and friends) and live on
an island. That assumes, of course, that we have enough money, a boat (to fetch
groceries and such) and a sufficient level of comfort to allow us to live “peacefully.”
(I don’t know how one persuades a repairman to appear on your island, when all
of his / her tools are inside his truck on the mainland.) OR
2. We
“rage, rage against the dying of the light,” according to poet Dylan Thomas.
First, of course, we have to define what that “light” is. As I’ve already
hinted, some people insist that they have the exclusive right to define the “light”
– without reference to God, of course.
Remember that, according to these people, “light” is
relative. It can refer to the sun, the moon, a lightbulb, or a bonfire. So the
things that that light touches can also be relative – laws, morality, “reproductive
health” (a euphemism for abortion), and so on… And so the anger. These people
hate what they cannot control.
However, as I’ve previously hinted, this hatred leads to
unhappiness. There is no outlet for hatred except to destroy the thing it
hates. It is a never-ending cycle of destruction. Period.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave us a way out. He
taught us how to defeat hate and live in peace. It is through His sacrifice on
the cross that we find the only way
through hatred.
Jesus of Nazareth began His last day of human life tied up
like a criminal, beaten, spat on, and accused of blasphemy. Did He hate? No. He
spoke truth – and got beaten and scourged for it.
When the bleeding and bruised Jesus of Nazareth was nailed
to that cross on Calvary, He cried out – for all to hear – “Father, forgive
them, for they are clueless about what they are doing.” Was this hatred?
When the beaten and humiliated Son of Man hung with
unimaginable pain, He asked His disciple John to shelter His beloved and loyal
mother. That woman and that man, standing together at the foot of the cross,
stood every chance of being arrested and hoisted onto a similar execution
platform in the future. But they stood there, and Jesus spoke. Haters often
hate even their family members in the middle of their trials, but Jesus did
not.
When Jesus of Nazareth cried out for just one drop of water,
a “hater” gave him vinegar. Vinegar did nothing for His thirst, except to
exacerbate it. Notice He didn’t curse the Vinegar Soldier.
The thought of death controls haters. Death is not welcome;
death is the Ultimate Enemy. But Jesus embraced His death, because it meant
that He had conquered death. “Father,
into Thy hands I commit my Spirit.” Done. Finished. Hatred was conquered.
And then there was Resurrection Day. Hallelujah!
Where was God this past Election Day? Right where He has
always been: in the center of the universe. In the center of control. In the
center of knowledge. Are some people unhappy about the election results? Are
some – even now – reacting with hatred towards those who “won”? Yes. They might
be near you – or they might even be YOU. Do you want to abide in hate?
I don’t.
I want to abide in Jesus Christ, King of Peace. Join me.
