“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.”(Proverbs 10:12)
Hatred stirs up conflict, but love always overcomes hate. We see this all the time in T.V. shows like “This is Us.” The masterful way Rebecca, the Mom, creates peace in her household with her love. She knows each of her children’s faults, and she covers them with love. Her love is different for each child. Randall struggles with anxiety, Rebecca’s love gives him calm. Kevin struggles with addiction, Rebecca’s love gives him stability. Kate struggles with insecurity, Rebecca’s love gives her strength. God does the same for us. He knows all of our faults, and He covers them with love.
Hatred is a conflict. When we have feelings of hate towards someone, it stirs up conflict within ourselves. God has recently purified my heart from hatred. I had hatred in my heart toward someone. The thought of this person immediately made me angry. This anger caused conflict in my life because I’m called to love everyone. I had to find a way to love this person. I realized, I first needed the hatred removed from my heart, something I could not do myself. I began praying and asking God to remove it for me. And He did, but not all at once. Over time, He revealed to me what was feeding the hatred in my heart. As He did, I was able to remove those things from my life. Instead of feeding the hatred, I paved the way for love.
Pave the way for love!
I was able to remove the hatred from my heart because God showed me what was feeding it. In order to pave the way for love, I had to feed on God’s love. I had to spend time in His word getting to know Him better. I had Him search my heart as David did in the Psalms:
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139: 23-24 NIV)
God found the offensive way in me, He helped remove it from my heart. His love removed the conflict from my life. His love overcame hatred by covering my faults. One simple prayer inspired by Priscilla Shirer paved the way for love: “Bless them, fix me.” God knows His children, each of us. He knows our faults, and He covers them with His love. Whatever hatred is in your life, God’s love can overcome it. But He has to be the one leading the way, we can’t do it on our own power. Only with God can we love well. Only with God can we overcome hatred with love. Only with God can we pave the way for love.
Question of the Day:
Who do you need to pray, “Bless them, fix me” for today?
Further Reading: Leviticus 14:1-57 NIV, Mark 6:30-56 NIV, Psalm 40:1-10 NIV, Proverbs 10:11-12 NIV
