Prov 14:22

"Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good" Prov 14:22

It happens to everyone sooner or later. Sometime, somewhere, someone crosses you. They may have betrayed you, stolen from you, lied to you. They may be a spouse, a best friend, a neighbor, a pastor, a teacher, a total stranger. The results are the same, you seethe with dislike verging on or spilling over into hatred. You seethe each time you think of them. You see a car that looks like theirs and your blood boils. You catch a glimpse of a head that looks like theirs and you turn the other way. You go ten blocks out of your way to avoid the very possibility of running into them. You even stop shopping at your favorite store because you know they frequent the same place.

You have become possessed by hatred.

A trusted counselor-friend tells you to forgive and forget, but you can't. Your doctor tells you, you need to relax or you will suffer forever with ulcers. Your boss notices that your mind is not on your work and has a long chat with you over a power lunch. That is always bad news. You snap at your children, you ignore your home. You pace around like a hungry tiger in a cage. Your nerves are ready to snap, and you have bit off more than one head in the last months.

You are a mess.

Who are you hurting? Is it the person who offended you? Hardly. Is it those around you, your family, your friends, your compatriots? Certainly. But most of all, you are destroying yourself. Your hatred is eating you alive, from the inside out. It is deeper than the ulcers; it is more than the thoughts buried in the recesses of your mind. The cancer that is destroying you is rooted in your very soul.

"Pastor Edwin, you are describing me. What can I do?" you may be asking. Solomon, who is much wiser than I, he says we should devise good. In this way we will find kindness and truth. Jesus said it another way, "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you." Luke 6:27-28

"I can't do that!" Sure you can, not of your own strength, but through "Christ who strengthens you!" It is time to put aside your hatred and do good to those who spitefully use you. In this way you will find peace. Praise God, Amen and Amen.