HATE is a Powerful Word

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It is cliche to say, "I hate eating vegetables."...Just as it is to say, "I LOVE those shoes you are wearing." Now...do you really LOVE those shoes. I heard a sermon on the levels/meanings of love. There are different forms of love. And I believe that there are also different levels of hate. Mother always told me that there is a fine line between love and hate. That is true as I have learned in my adult life.

But let's think about the word HATE. I have real difficulty using the word hate. I'm not sure how far or deep that goes. As I live the Chrisian life, I have always tried to be forgiving. So, I have difficulty using the word hate because it is thrown around like it is nothing. However, hate is much more than that. Hate is a crippling emotion that ultimately becomes a reason you have negativity in your own life. 

In his presentation on Golden Rule Relationships, Zig Ziglar recognizes the damages that are done when you hate another person or even just resent them. He speaks about the necessity of forgiveness which has a profound effect on your overall happiness. We need to evaluate our emotions of hatred, resentment and guilt. These three realities affect our lives, I believe, in ways that we may never understand. Christian principles teach us to love one another and have forgiving hearts. I often say that I forgive people, but I can't forget a wrong done to me. "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me," But it doesn't mean that I can't have a relationship with that person. We have lost that ability in our modern world. We like to harbor hate and resentment too much...and this leads to feeling guilty.

Hating somebody brings more poison into your own life than anything else. Above all else, hate sucks the energy out of your life. What is most damaging is that it leads to guilt over what you may have said to someone or how you have made someone feel, etc. Guilt destroys productivity and is contradictory of the Golden Rule.

Focus on living a productive and happy life. Don't' spend your time or energy in HATING things. Don't let it rob you of being happy right where you are. Stay in the moment and count your blessings.