Suprisingly enough, hate is often a result of love.  I know it sounds crazy, but if you think about it, most of the reasons why we find ourselves hating someone else can be traced directly back to a love for either ourselves, another person, or even the victim themselves.  Why do we find ourselves hating other people?  More times than not, it will stem from some type of love.

One of the biggest reasons we will end up hating someone is because we have been wronged by that person.  Somewhere down the line, they said something nasty/thoughtless, did something terribly unforgiveable, or failed to do something they ought to have done.  This is ultimately a result of the fact that we're simply in love with ourselves.  All of us, to some extent, have a natural love for ourselves.  We feed ourselves when we're hungry, keep ourselves out of harm's way, and strive to please ourselves in as many different ways as we can.  Face it.  We care about ourselves.  And when someone does something to offend us, well, we just can't tolerate it.

Another reason we will find ourselves feeling hatred toward another person is that they have done something to wrong someone we care about.  This comes from a love we have for another.  When we truly love someone, we will often feel some automatic hatred toward someone who is purposely trying to harm them.  Whether it is emotionally, physically, or verbally, we cannot stand by and feel nothing when someone we love is the victim of abuse.

Lastly, we can even end up hating the very person we love.  When we love someone so great that we can't stand the thought of anything happening to them, this has the potential of becoming hatred toward them.  The person we love has a free will and free choice.  They can do whatever they want, whenever they want, and they don't even have to love us back.  When their actions become disappointing, disheartening, hurtful, or harmful, we can end up feeling some sort of resentment, or even hatred, at being the brunt of these actions.  If we didn't love them, why would we care?  But we do love them, and therefore, we are tender toward these actions and sometimes find them aggravating, to say the least.

Ultimately, true love will always conquer hate.  The stronger our love is, the more true it is.  The more our love overlooks and/or even overcomes the obstacles of hurt feelings and broken hearts, the more our love rings true.  Don't let hate become the weed that chokes your garden of love.  Weed it out. 

One nation under God.  Is this statement an encroachment on our religious freedom?  Can our nation be a Christian nation without taking away our freedom?  Was it meant to be a Christian nation?  Or did our forefathers make a mistake? 

If our forefathers never intended our nation to be a Christian nation, then why did they include the words, "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights" in the Declaration of Independence?  Why did they put "In God we trust" on all our currency?  Why did they inscribe the Ten Commandments on the doors of the Supreme Court's courtroom?  Why does the fourth verse of our national anthem include the phrase, "And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"?  Why does the song 'My Country 'Tis of Thee' say, "America, America, God shed His grace on thee"?  Why did George Washington say, "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible"?  Why did James Madison say, "We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God"?  Why did Benjamin Franklin say, "God governs in the affairs of man.  And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?"  Why did Patrick Henry say, "It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here."

Is it possible that our forefathers wanted America to be a Christian nation?  The First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof".  Just because America is a Christian nation does not mean that others can't worship in their own way.  It just means that the government itself was established by Christians and on the principles of the Bible.  There can be no doubt that our forefathers intended America to be a Christian nation.  There are too many truths that point to this fact.  The only thing they didn't want is for the government to force all people to worship one certain way.  I don't feel they've ever done this.  Do you? 

What is Christianity?

Is it judgment and criticism?

Is it morals and standards?

Is it a way to look good in front of others?

Is it an excuse to feel better about yourself?

Is it right vs. wrong?

Is it just another religion?

Maybe.  Maybe not.  It all depends on your point of view.  But one thing's for sure...

True Christianity is love where it's not deserved.  Forgiveness where it's not earned.  And compassion where it's least expected. 

Pass it on.