You might have clicked on this link purely out of disbelief that I have written a post on this topic – but I hope your preconceived millennial mindset doesn’t allow any type of offense to take root too soon. ‘Hate’ is a taboo word when it comes to modern rhetoric. With the rise of terrorism and the entrenching of the hippie ethos our parents (or grandparents) adopted, there is an incredible emphasis on peace, love and unity.
But this world cannot exist without hate. You can see it in the unprecedented amount of unedited rants on social media. The sad reality of violence in schools and in certain communities is also an example of how suppressing hate can result in a terrible reality. It will spill out somewhere.
Sounding a bit ‘doom and gloom’? There is hope. There is a godly way to hate. It’s a healthy and necessary aspect of our lives. Our capacity to loathe is intrinsic. But what we hate is important.
God hates
Now it’s important firstly to know that God doesn’t hate you. He doesn’t hate people. He made people. But there are things that He cannot stand. It’s in the Bible – the six things that God hates:
- Eyes that are arrogant
- Tongue that lies
- Hands that murder the innocent
- A heart that hatches evil plots
- Feet that race down a wicked track
- A mouth that lies under oath
There is a seventh thing on the list that it says God also loathes:
7. A troublemaker in a family
Notice that God hates aspects of sinful actions, but never hates the person who perpetrates them. He does strongly dislike troublemakers, though, just for the record.
The reason why hate is a present part of God’s countenance is because of the fact that He is love. He loves us so much that anything that will harm us will, in turn, be hated by God. God hates arrogance – that steals dignity from others and isolates those who judge. He hates our ability to lie – because it breeds distrust and pain. He hates murder – as it cuts lives short of their purpose and breaks the hearts of all those connected to it. He hates evil plans – that plan the demise and harm of others. He hates eagerness to do wrong – the lust that can destroy us (His creations) from the inside out. And He hates dishonesty that imprisons the innocent and enables the guilty.
Hate, in many ways, is the opposite of love. You cannot truly love someone or something without hating whatever would negatively affect them.
Where hate doesn’t belong
I know there are many terrible things that are taking place in our world. Terror on this earth is not only becoming more prevalent, but is also broadcast immediately – portraying perspectives that are taken as fact without consideration of perspective.
Our immediate reaction to injustice is to hate the people responsible. But this is a misguided placement of hate – because that breeds disunity and contempt for individuals and people groups that you will never truly know.
It takes someone mature to recognize that whatever has happened, hating a person immediately denies you the opportunity to understand why they did what they did. It’s like taking revenge out on a jug for the bitter water inside of it.
People are messed up – you and I included. In our continent especially there is an underlying hate for oppressors that is tearing at us from beneath the surface. But if we direct our hate towards the right things, it can become constructive rather than destructive.
Where hate belongs
There is no shame in hating. It means that you love something enough to deeply despise anything that affects it. But we need to hate the right things.
In the Bible it says that if we love God, we will hate what He hates. Godly hate is the foundation for justice on earth. It is the true essence of change in many situations. But it needs to be in line with the Word of God.
What now?
I don’t know where you stand in terms of hate. You might be fighting against it – feeling guilty about the fact that you are feeling animosity towards people. Hate is an important part of your emotional health. Stop trying to hide it – otherwise it will affect you negatively.
You may be struggling with hate towards individuals or groups of people. I can tell you now, it will affect you more than it will ever effect them. Hate can distill into violence very easily, which builds a cycle of suffering that has placed us in this current situation. If you are willing to redirect your hate towards the actions and attitudes of the people and away from who they are as a whole. Hurt people hurt people. The bitterness of hate has been passed down the generations from as far back as Adam. It’s time to break that cycle – with God’s help – and heal.
Without God, I have found it impossible to truly change. If you want to be able to move on from the things that are holding you in hate – God is the answer. He knows exactly how you can constructively use that energy to change the injustice of this world. Click on the link below to find out more.