As you may know, I am a fairly avid reader. I like books that challenge me to be a better person and to be a better Christian. The currently book I am steamrolling through is 9 Things that You Simply Must do to Succeed in Love and Life by Henry Cloud. The chapter that I am stuck on and mauling over is principle 6: hate well. It sounded really curious to me, but when I read it I learned a lot about God, myself, and others. I will quickly break this down for you...
Proverbs 6:16-19
16 There are six things which the LORD hates,
Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A false witness who utters lies,
And one who spreads strife among brothers.
the six/seven detail confuses me, but the seven details that are mentioned are quite reasonable. So this is what I learned about God: God is not unreasonable in what he dislikes. How many people can say that they love the company of arrogant people, liars, someone who attacks innocent people, malicious people, people who love doing evil deeds, a gossip/drama queen, or someone who breaks up families or friends? Not many. In fact, I am pretty sure that most cultures do not revere these people, and almost any religion instructs to avoid this behavior because it leads to ruin.
So what does this mean in the big picture? That God is not crazy. God does not have multiple personalities in which he loves suffering one moment and abhors it the next. This is a sane and reasonable God. The people that follow God deal with human nature, but God instructs us to avoid these issues.
What does this teach about me? Do the things that I hate seem reasonable or is it outlandish? Much of what we choose to love and chose to hate illustrate our character. The things that I hate are selfishness, humor at other people's expense, betrayal, entitlement/taking from others without being willing to give, and blatant disregard of other's feelings to name a few. So what did that teach me about me? First off, I value other people and firmly believe in loving others well. Secondly, I do not tolerate destructive negativity, especially towards me or the people in my care.
When I write down the things that I love and that motivate me, I begin to see where I like to focus my energy. I love seeing others happy and at peace, I love to teach/share things that God has done with me, I love experiencing the Holy Spirit use me to help others, I love to see others find success and reach their dreams, I love the feeling of being among my friends and fully living life with them. I start to see a pattern here as well. Most of what I am doing involves being with God and being with others.
So what does that mean about you? Give it a try. Write down the things that you hate, and see if it is properly placed. When people hate the right things and do not tolerate them, they do not become an obstacle in your life because you pull the weed out before it overtakes the garden. Also, take the time to write down the things that you love and the things that motivate you. This will help guide you to see what it is that you most easily spend your energy on since it is what you naturally gravitate towards. If it is positive, then that is great. But if your joy leads to destructive results, you may want to consider asking God to help you realign your priorities so that you can love others rather than hurt them.
Thats all for now! I have an interview tomorrow in the AM, I am hoping to be gainfully employed soon. I will keep you updated!!
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