OVERVIEW

The world today is so different, yet still the same. As I went back and forth from different places, life still goes on. However, I noticed something that really changed. The way people cope with the situation right now and how the people interact with each other.

I see so many angry people from the waiting line to paying their bills to the clinic as the lady screaming to the old doctor shouting, 'He's not sick!'. I was shocked. I pity the doctor. What's going on in the world? It seems it is easy to hate and blame others than love and spread good vibes.

I just felt a little bit sad as I saw the result of this pandemic. Anxiety, scarcity, fear, panic, and more. It really affected us in many ways. The world is not the same as before yet still alike. Why did I say so? Do you know the song entitled 'Where is the Love?' by the Black Eyed Peas that was released in 2003, the lyrics say:

"I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder

As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder

Most of us only care about money makin'

Selfishness got us followin' the wrong direction"

And I know, you may be singing the song as well up to the chorus! Anyways. As I tuned in, I realized, time is just repeating itself. Feels like it happened already long decades ago. I once allowed hate to take over my heart. I see others as an enemy, I even allowed hatred to rule, just because everyone is furiously fighting to have that convenience, chasing money. Hatred is everywhere. It is easy to think and talk back unpleasant things towards others, right? But it is said by:

MARTIN LUTHER KING

"Darkness cannot drive darkness; Light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; Love can do that."

I certainly believe in this. It's never possible to kill hate with hate. I have a lot to say about this. You know what, the more you get angry with people or your situation, the more likely hatred arises, and then what? You will definitely self-destruct!

3 POWERFUL STEPS TO DRIVE OUT HATE

1. Pray and forgive - It's hard to love someone who hates or persecutes you. If you really want to make peace with them, pray! Ask the Lord to help you love the way He does. He loved you and forgave you so that you may be able to love and forgive others. As for me, it's a crucial thing to reconciliation. When you pray for someone you hate or consider as an enemy, it means you are making peace to yourself as you made a very difficult decision of surrendering it all to God. Jesus said in:

LUKE 6:27-28:

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you."

2. Humility - It involves losing the argument rather than losing the relationship. Being humble enough to say sorry, even if it's not really your fault. I did it so many times, and it works. When you humble yourself, the situation changes, and you'll be favored. It's like something happened in the heart of the other person. Remember, it's not about who wins the fight, it's about who does the right thing in the sight of God.

The hardest thing to do when you're mad is to humble yourself. Pride always comes in and it doesn't do good to us. Do the first move, approach the other person and it's going to be worth it. But don't do it without even doing step 1, pray and forgive, or else it might result in another argument or fight. As you humble yourself, it shall bring peace and inward healing.

3. Do good - Showing kindness and this includes giving. Give something that you know will make the person feel important or loved. If the tension is within your relationships or in the family, you can simply act with kindness, cook for the person, be the light. Giving your time to help or simply listen, means you sympathize with what others feel. It is said in:

ROMANS 12:21:

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

PROVERBS 25:22:

“In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you."

I don't know about you but these three works for me. Two days ago, I got so angry with my grandma for she allowed a stranger to come inside our kitchen and cook his breakfast while I am asleep in the living room, it's like 6:00 am in the morning. My heart is full of hate. I should be happy that we are able to bless people, but I'm grudgingly complaining about why she does that. This man and his co-workers have a lot of debt in our store (and yeah, you just found out that he's not really that stranger, but for me, we don't really know them personally) and all of a sudden, I was thinking bad, like 'are they trying to take advantage of us', or 'is she (grandma) just trying to please people'?

There are times in our everyday lives that we make simple things an issue, we tend to make tiny problems bigger. I am not proud of what I felt, however, I learned from it. Just like what I said in my bio, I am still learning, and there are always good stories out of my life, as well as yours!

Moving forward, I did assess myself, why am I feeling this? I did ask God to change my heart. I did ask God to help me love others. And this is what He said as I make my devotion the next morning. It is said in:

PSALM 53:2-4:

“God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Do all these evildoers know nothing?"

Yes! I simply realized that we all fell short of the glory of God. There's no way I'll be looking to myself better than the others. It is also said in:

PHILIPPIANS 2:3:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves."

So I understand clearly now, and so do you? Whenever you think that you are better than the others, and you just care about yourself, that 'Me first, Me Me Me!' mentality; the more you exalt yourself, and the more you will likely get frustrated not getting the things that you wanted out of others.

FINAL THOUGHTS

And so, my conclusion is, PRIDE and SELFISHNESS can lead to HATE!

But you know what, I didn't allow the enemy to destroy my relationship with my grandma. I pray and forgave her, in my heart, I ask God to show kindness and love to her instead of confronting her. I almost did, at the back of my mind, 'You were wrong! Why did you do that? It's not right!' and so on. So be on guard! Do you think if I burst out my frustrations, I will be happy trying to prove my point? I guess not!

I did really just followed the strategies I outlined here beforehand. And I won! Not the argument, but the battle! Because I humble myself and allowed God to take the pride and anger, He changes the situation, I was able to bond with my grandma, and of course, we prevented hurting each other. This is just an example, and I know there are more complex situations that you're maybe facing right now, more than I do. But rest assured, God's love never fails. You could win your battles too! All you have to do is surrender.

I am so embarrassed when the man whom I called 'a stranger' offered us a ride yesterday, despite my cold attitude towards him. It means we don't have to walk 20 minutes just to get out of the village, not only that, it saves our time and money. God made me realized one thing, that's how I supposed to love my neighbors, do good to those who hate you! In my case, it's not really 'hate', but still it's not under God's highest command:

MARK 12:30-31:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."

How many times I've come across this passage:

1 JOHN 4:20:

“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen."

Once I've heard a worship leader saying 'Love does not equal hate. Love is the only thing that transforms.' This phrase captured my heart as I was listening to the song, deep down inside, I was hoping to have that love, feel that love, and understand that kind of love. If love can transform, can L-O-V-E really makes the world a better place?

AT THE END OF THE DAY

YOU HAVE A CHOICE

WILL YOU HATE

OR LOVE? .........

♡♡♡

There is one man who loved you more than His own life. - JESUS