1201) I read a book recently where the main character said love always wins over hate. As I read these words, I knew I agreed, but I wanted to step back and think through why. Here are some things I considered:

As people who live in a fallen world, our default button is always the negative. We don’t have to make ourselves be stingy or vengeful. Neither do we have to teach children to be selfish. These things are part of our nature. Therefore, I think hate is easier than choosing love.

It’s also easier to let our negative emotions run wild. How often do we hear the rants of someone amid anger? Unfortunately, I hear it too often. This is easier than choosing love.

Love is everything hate is not. The Bible tells a lot about it in 1 Corinthians 13. Love is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, to name a few.

All of these must be chosen. I choose to be patient with that driver when he pulled in front of me. I choose to be kind, even though the woman on the phone was cranky.

Sometimes we must address difficult things. The way we package our words gives them power. If they’re spewed out in anger, others reject this package.

Jesus spoke such words, packaging them in love because “the greatest of these is love”. Mark 10:21, 1 Corinthians 13:13