Love over Hatred

 By: Grace Metzger

Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant,
is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Lately I have not been in a great mood. This is usually something I can hide quite well but I knew that I was in a really bad mood when everyone around me asked if I was ok. It was no secret to the people closest to me why I was in a bad mood, they probably heard me complain about it all week! I was upset because I was forced to be around someone who frustrated me. Being around them put me in a bad mood and ruined my day. 

I was driving home late that night after a full day of working with him and then going to Church. I was loudly complaining to myself about my day, which sounds insane the more I write it. But as I was complaining about him, saying "He just makes me so mad." I kept hearing this voice in my head replying "Why are you letting him? Why is he in control of your emotions?" I instantly felt ashamed and knew that this was God telling me that I was not acting like I should. 

Do everything in love.

1 Corinthians 16:14

I am very bad at letting other people control my emotions. This annoyed my father who would always say "Who cares what other people think or do? Just focus on yourself." But it's sounds a lot more easier then it was for me. I know I'm not the only person who struggles with this. Who struggles with having that one certain person ruin their whole day. Who feels anger after talking with that person because "I know what they really meant when they said that." I think this is a common thing, especially in our world today. People are angry, hateful, and resenting. No one gets along anymore.

So how do we fix this? Well this complicated problem actually has one of the easiest solutions know to man! The way to fix a hatred problem is with love. I know what you might be thinking, "There's no way I'm loving that person after what they did." Trust me I've been in that same boat before. 

I give you a new command: Love one another. Just

as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.

John 13:34

This is the verse that change it from "I could never love this person after what they did to me" to "I love this person so much." You might ask how did this verse do that? Well any time I started getting angry, resentful, frustrated with someone I would just start repeating "I love them because God loves me." Repeating that over and over in your head will really start to change how you interaction with that person. 

I started focusing more on my love for others then my hatred for them. I started losing my anger and bad moods because instead of getting mad at them for what they did I showed them love and compassion. I love them because God loves them. God is not an idiot, if He loves someone then they must be worth it. Who am I to say, "Sorry God, I know you think they are worthy of love but they make me mad so I don't believe that." I trust that God knew what He was doing when He called us to love one another. He wrote in so many times for a reason.

So focus on love! Don't allow yourself to get consumed in hatred and anger like I did. Trust me, it ruins your mood, your day, and maybe even your whole week! So next time you feel like you want to scream at that certain coworker who just won't stop eating your lunch, or your neighbor whose trash just randomly shows up in your yard, remember to stop, breath, and remind yourself that God calls us to act in love, not hate. Trust me, it will change your life for the better!

Discussion Question: What do you do when you find yourself acting out in hatred?