Love Over Fear and Hate
I sense we know that love over fear and hate is a true idea. Love drives out both fear and hate, but often we are not using this thought/feeling.
Interestingly, fear and hate cannot drive out fear and hate, but we go to these too often. Fear and hate are natural, but we should not be shackled by them.
Let’s First Look at Hatred
Proverbs notes this point of wisdom on hatred.
Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
See above that it also has bad company. Lets not let it dwell in us. Seek God and friends if you cannot. Be free. This may mean we need to formally give our right to bring justice to God. We need not let hatred harm us.
Love Over Fear and Hate – Lets see our Agency
Fear is another go to and related to anxiety. The Bible makes a shocking statement.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Fear in the short term is valuable but it should never be debilitating. My younger daughter says it feels safer to choose fear. (Seems true for hate too.) Somehow. we are then depending on ourselves like orphans. We like to be in charge. This is well said. We are hard pressed to choose unsafe love, when we feel fearful. God help us to choose love when it is hard. We must beat fear down with an active choice to love. And yes, we need to accept love as well. We are not orphans.
We need to use His courage when ours is not enough. His love is within us and flows when we choose to use it. I feel I must take my eyes off me and see others and Jesus in such times. I can chose to love others when I see them as God does and choose to see God when I feel fear within. Ah, again this is easier said than done. We have agency and can choose. We are not alone. Come and meet us in our fearfulness.
Come and slow us down in our hatred. Let the love of Christ rule in us and deny the darkness. Let’s send the darkness packing and love in the light beyond hatred and fear
