When Hate Is Pride Leaving the Body

This has been an emotional roller coaster week for me and I’ve had plenty to think about…the reality of life for one, so it got me thinking. How often do you find yourself hating on things? Oh, I do all the time. I hate this traffic, I hate all this rain, I hate this time of year where I make 37 wardrobe changes to make it through a spring day in the south, I hate the dude driving slow in the left lane (yep, he’s still there). I’m pretty sure if we are honest with ourselves we all are a little guilty...So it got me thinking a little about this notion of “hate”. Kids say you’re a “hater” if you simply disagree with someone, but that’s not really what I’m talking about. I’m talking about what do you hate? You see God has a list of things He hates. One that tops the list is when we take an attitude that counts ourselves more important than others. You may recognize it as Pride. Yep, that one. Not only does God hate pride, but He also declares war on it. If we insist on our way, our fame, our glory, and our best interest, you can bet God will work against us in direct opposition. When we take up an attitude of pride it’s like we are picking a fight with God. A fight we won’t win. We’re all proud in different ways. Some of us think we deserve more money. Some of us think we deserve more respect, comfort, or praise, whatever...you get the idea. So before we go and look at other people maybe we need to take a close look at ourselves. The Bible tells us we need to humble ourselves and when we do, we are recognized for it. So I’ve come to the realization concerning hate. That hate is merely pride leaving the body. That hate is a manifestation of considering ourselves greater than our surroundings. Last thought, some people live under the myth that circumstances can humble a person. The truth is, circumstances can only humiliate you. The only thing that can humble you, is you. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”Matthew 23:12 Be nice. Grace Wins.