Lead With Love

A Culmination of Hate

What is Hate?

To be clear, hate isn't a new emotion, even though it's been a topic of intense conversation the past decade. Hate is an emotion born into a broken, fallen world. As humans, as children of God, hate wasn't present in the Garden of Eden, but it's the enemy's attempt to not only bring devastation to others, but also to ourselves and our relationship with God.

A dictionary will define hate (verb) as: feel intense or passionate dislike for (someone), or as a (noun): intense or passionate dislike.

A more appropriate definition for hate is: a conscious dislike of a person.

I like this definition because it removes words like "intense" and "passionate". It doesn't matter the level of dislike. Dislike of a person, at any level of intensity, is dislike. And dislike of a person is the definition of hate. To differentiate, you can dislike a person's actions while loving the person. This is healthy and appropriate. Experiencing a negative reaction to a person's action is a trigger to implement a correction for that individual (if a Christian), or a chance to allow the love, mercy, and grace of Jesus Christ to shine through you and into that person's life (non-believer), which may allow the Holy Spirit to work through you and into that person's life.

I utilize the word conscious to note the difference between anger and hate, which I'll explore in the next section.

Anger vs. Hate

There is a line between anger and hate, but it's a thin line because anger, unchecked and unresolved, can lead to hate. This is where the word "conscious" comes into play in my definition of hate.

Anger is an immediate reaction to verbal or physical action. It is the instantaneous dislike of something we experience. As we process anger, we then direct that emotion to either the action itself or the person responsible. There is nothing wrong with anger as an emotion. The problem with anger arises when the response results in inward dislike of person rather than the action, which often results in un-Godly actions within our own lives.

We often equate hate to action, and only define a person's hate as actual hate once they act upon their feelings. That outward action is the culmination of the hate we feel, but hate begins within us well before we take action. Therefore, we can posses hate even if that emotion is never outwardly portrayed.

As Christians

I'll begin with a rather direct statement: hating someone who demonstrates hate (political, spiritual, ethnic, and so on) is still hate and has no room in the Kingdom of God. How often has battling hate with hate altered someone's beliefs, or more importantly, converted them? Rarely, if ever! Jesus Christ did not enter towns spewing hate to those around him. Instead, He demonstrated love, patience, kindness, and grace to those who did not believe, showing them the intended path. Jesus did, however, correct the actions and behaviors of his disciples and the Pharisees (people who knew better).

When dealing with another Christian, we are called to correct un-Godly behavior. We are to hold each other accountable, demonstrating courage in addressing behavior we know is inappropriate. Again, even here, the dislike is focused on the action. It is out of love for a fellow believer that we correct the behavior so the individual lives a life aligned to that of Jesus Christ. However, the approach is different when engaging with non-believers.

In all things, leading with love is the best course of action. This doesn't mean to stray from the hate in this world. We are to have courage in correcting un-Godly behavior in other believers, and we are to be a light of love, mercy, and grace to those who don't believe. We cannot be that light if we fail to engage the world. What's important is that we do not meet that hate with hate, but we demonstrate a better way of life, a life God wants for all his children.

Here is another direct statement: social media is a tool that can be used for good, but Christians often utilize it to attack those of differing beliefs with hate. Social media is impersonal, and engaging others online with emotional verbiage (even if unintended) can portray a sense of hate. I have seen it too many times. A Christian attacking something said via social media, which triggers a slew of hateful responses. The escalation of conversation makes any hope of meaningful conversation impossible.

Takeaways

Lead with love. Do not be afraid to engage the world around you, but go into every encounter, every discussion with a mindset of love for the person you are engaging. Have courage to address the behaviors of fellow believers (dislike their actions, love the person), and demonstrate love, mercy, grace to those who do not yet recognize Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

Why are we so passionately upset when we see non-believers acting like non-believers? Instead, we often dismiss un-Godly behavior of our fellow believers (who should know better) and demonstrate hate toward those who do not believe (those who do not know better). This is the opposite example of what Jesus Christ did while on this earth!

This approach extends into social media. Do not take offense to the things you see or read. Convert your dislike into an opportunity demonstrate God's love. Battling hate with hate is not God's love, and this often terminates any opportunity for us to have meaningful conversation to demonstrate a better a way to live (conversion).

God is bigger than all of what we see and experience. He is in control at all times. He doesn't need us to save the world (He has done this already). Instead, look inward. Cleanse ourselves, embody love and courage, and allow the Holy Spirit to work in the world through us. Do not compromise your morals, the way the Bible directs us to live our lives, when engaging the world around you, but do not be a vehicle of the enemy to spread hate in a world that needs love.

If you want a visual representation of this blog, watch any He Gets Us commercial. If you do not feel the Holy Spirit while watching, then I recommend a time of reflection.