Ginter Botanical Gardens, RVA
A Time to Hate
For
everything there is a season,
and
a time for every purpose under heaven.
A
time to love and a time to hate;
a time of war and a time of peace
Ecclesiastes
3:1,8
Hate vt. hated, hating
1.
To have strong dislike or ill will for; despise,
loathe
2.
To dislike or wish to avoid; shrink from
I was taught from childhood that it is wrong
to hate someone. Jesus spoke quite
pointedly about hatred of people as an extension of the desire to murder. So I view “a time to hate” from the perspective
of hating things or circumstances.
Things I Hate:
The sight of a horrific automobile accident
Filthy language in the presence of children
Dentist appointments
The sight of a homeless person with no where to go
The sound of a child being screamed at
Needles at the doctor’s office
Spiteful criticism
Any language calculated to tear down rather than
build up
To lose a friend
To watch someone’s health deteriorate
Prejudice
Cruelty to animals
Selfish arrogance
I realize that much of what I hate is perpetrated
by people. That brings up the old “Hate
the sin, love the sinner” conundrum: the
very thin line between hating what people do vs. hating the people
themselves. The ability to love
unconditionally is a gift only God can give us.
His love reaches out to us regardless of what we have done. He does not excuse our sin – He forgives us.
When it comes to our dealings with those around us,
perhaps forgiveness is the intersection between love and hate.
*
We
will walk with each other, we will walk hand in
hand.
We
will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand.
And
together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land.
And
they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
Yes,
they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
The
Faith We Sing No. 2223
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