WHO DO YOU LOVE TO HATE? terry fenwick

          I have been trying to write a blog on Who Do You Love To Hate.   It started because of my own personal problem but it really can be for all of us.  No Christian is allowed to hate any person.  We all know that, right?  Sure we do. 

          Hate is not what GOD does. He hates sin but he does not hate the sinner.  Simple as that. We never like that statement much but it is so true. 

          Now, often what we do in the beginning is hate righteously what someone does, or does not do, and in our righteousness we become self-righteous.  We tend to love hating what this person has done.  We would never do what this person has done.  We know it grieves GOD.  We just keep hating and hating.  Ah! Then the hate rolls over on the person and just covers him or her with hatred.  Spews right out of you onto them.  Don’t worry, you have more hate where that came from. 

          Nada. Can't hate him, can’t hate her.
  
          Just can't.
  
          Can't hate anyone.  

          And hate gradually shows in our anger or comments when we can't say something good.   In the beginning maybe we say a few good things to balance out the hate, but soon we no longer can think of anything good.  We have to learn to say something graced.  Here we have it, beautifully graced.  Graced but not that I am so wonderful – not that at all, but admitting I am only good at anything because of Grace.  And yes, we all know it is not even our own grace – but it is the Grace of GOD.  We know this, don't we? 

This happened to me because of a political person.  Sound familiar?  I truly hated what this person did, and said,  and did not do, and did not say. And I was right.  I was so righteous in this-so very right.  But,  I was deeper and deeper in my anger and then the flaunting of this person’s Catholicism just did me in.   It never stopped.  Never slowed down.  It just got worse and worse and one day, I realized, 

I hated the person.
  
I could actually hear myself think it – not say it – but think it.

“I hate this Person!  I hate this Person!  I really hate this Person!”

The minute I did, I knew that I was in deep trouble.  Dark water trouble.  Almost drowning trouble.  I repented but it was not enough.  The LORD quickly gave me an assignment to match the hate.  I knew without hearing His voice that I was to pray for this person to come HOME to the Church every day of my life, on my knees, until the day I died. 

There was no discussion about this.   I promised the Lord, not vowed, not suppose to vow, but I promised Him I would do just that.  I would pray this person HOME to the Church.  I would pray for this person every night - on my knees - to come HOME to the Church. "Bring the person Home, Lord."  That is HIS WILL and it is a good prayer.  

           

          The first night I prayed through gritted teeth - but I prayed!   The second night I crawled into bed and prayed a little better.  The third night, I smiled and thought of the person,  and the fourth night,  I heard my own voice say, “I love this Person, with the Love of the Lord!”  The fifth night?  You will like this; the TV was on, but muted and I raised up after praying for this person and there was the person’s face full–screen on my TV screen.

          I saw the face and laughed and smiled and loved GOD so much.  I loved myself a bit more, too.  It was working for me and He would make it work for the Person, when the time was right.                              
       

          Are you laughing?   I wanted to write this before Ash Wednesday to hit a few million people over the head before the Ashes to simply ask, “Who Do You Love to Hate?”  Get over it.  Start praying for this person.  Or persons?

Terry Fenwick