Hate is contagious, the more you surround yourself with it, the more reasons you find to wield its destructive power. Haters are simply those who have never stopped to find a better way.
Love is contagious as well, the more you surround yourself with it the more reasons you find to spread its healing power to the broken and hurting around you.
Every human being on the face of this earth was born with the gift of choice and the will to make those choices a reality. Societal status does not regulate our choices, we do. I have seen the poorest of the poor, with everything against them, choose love and happiness. I have seen the tenacity of determination in the midst of disaster and I have personally seen love triumph over hate on many occasions.
If we are to thrive as individuals and communities, we must choose the higher path. We must choose kindness, gentleness, peace, patience, love, joy and of course self-control. Unless we lean into the ‘better angels of our nature’ as Abraham Lincoln so eloquently stated it, we will inevitably succumb to the lesser demons of our own pride and self-destruction.
All too often we move without forethought, we hastily allow our raw emotions to dictate our actions and we wonder why our society has fallen into such disarray. When will we ever learn? God in His UN-abashed love for us has throughout the ages shouted eternal wisdom and guidance for upright living. We are not bound by our emotions unless we choose to be. We are not base selfish beings unless we choose to be and we are not haters unless we make the choice to be.
Today, we have the greatest opportunity ever put before mankind. As the forefathers of our dear country once stated, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’
Glorious words and so easily attainable when we look at what is commonly known as the Golden Rule.
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34
Stasia is mother to six beautiful children and wife to a dedicated, loving husband. They have served as a family together on the mission field on four continents for nearly 30 years. Stasia’s passion is to share in true colors the grace of God in her life. You can read more about her and the ministry of the Women’s Bible Cafe. Stasia is the CEO of LifeVerse Books and you can Subscribe to LVB to receive regular free and discounted book deals and timely reviews. If this article has blessed you in any small way, please consider showing your support by clicking subscribe in the upper right corner. Copyright© 2015 Stasia Nielsen All Rights Reserved
