• Home
  • About
    • About Yvonne
    • Bio & Mission
    • Published Books
  • Spiritual Nuggets
    • How To Overcome Fear-Revisited
    • What Do You Believe?
    • This Combination Opens the Narrow Gate It!
    • Past Articles >
  • Speaking & Events
  • Contact
  • Spiritual Nuggets Podcast
Emeth in Agape
  • Home
  • About
    • About Yvonne
    • Bio & Mission
    • Published Books
  • Spiritual Nuggets
    • How To Overcome Fear-Revisited
    • What Do You Believe?
    • This Combination Opens the Narrow Gate It!
    • Past Articles >
  • Speaking & Events
  • Contact
  • Spiritual Nuggets Podcast

Spiritual Nuggets Past Articles

How to Love in Spite of Feelings - Spiritual Nugget 79

1/11/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
One of the most memorable scenes I can recall in this modern age of television and movies involved an object lesson on unconditional love. Yes, something positive!
 
The final scene divulges a mother making a final statement to the young man found guilty of killing her only son without reason or mercy. She recounts to the young murderer how she has tried to hate him but can’t. She emotionally declares she has decided on the alternative of praying for him because he will need prayer to survive in the “terrible” place (prison) he is being sent.
 
Keeping to its simplest definition, hatred is a strong, intense antagonism and dislike. Far too often this feeling will prompt injury to another. When we speak of hatred, there is an entire catalog of meanings that linger throughout our world. Some are interchangeable between religion and culture.

Racial Hatred of Specific Cultures: Jews, African Americans, Hispanics, Arabs
 
Religious Groups: Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish
 
Social Groups: Homeless, LGBT community or orientation choice, uneducated, mentally ill, poor, foreign, disabled, elderly
Sometimes the word hate is used so loosely that I am reminded of a lizard’s tongue zipping in and out. “I hate my hair,” “I hate this dress,” “I hate these shoes,” “I hate this food,” “I hate, hate, hate, fill-in-the-blank!”
 
Predictably, if you were to take a survey of why a specific hatred exists toward another, there probably would be responses of stutters, coughs, mumbles, blank stares, or amoeba-like answers.
 
Unconditional love is a powerful and lethal weapon against hatred. This love is the genesis of humanity’s existence. It’s the kind of love that loves your children or spouse when they get on your last nerve. It’s the kind of love that forgives another when they are unlikeable, unfaithful, weak, act out in ugly ways, or go against your morals.
 
Unconditional love is based upon being able to get past behavior and see the value and intrinsic worth of another. It does not mean you agree, support, or affirm their behavior, but it does mean you do not have the entitlement to discriminate against cultures, religions, or other social groups.
 
In the Biblical story of the Prodigal Son, the younger one was a major screw-up who blew all his inheritance on partying and running wild. But after living with pigs for a time, he decided to go home. When he arrived, his father did not remind him of his bad behavior but instead welcomed him home with a great celebration. (Luke 15:11-31)
 
All of us are damaged goods, but God does not treat us as rotting garbage in a bin. To Him, we are priceless packages. He demonstrates His mercy and compassion every day. He actively provides for our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
 
In the scheme of life, we must understand what God values. Is your relationship with your spouse greater than a burnt dinner, or a smashed bumper or headlight on the car or some other infraction? These are things to ask yourself. What is their true worth in comparison to another?
 
Even when we go through trials and tribulations God is never the Adversary, the enemy, or the hater.
  • He is the potter who molds and shapes us through our suffering. (Romans 9:21)
  • He never forgets us and never slumbers or sleeps.
  • He is a friend who will be closer to us than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)
  • His greatest desire is to bring us closer to Him. “Unconditional love binds everything together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:14)

“For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16)
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture

~  Truth in Love  ~

Quick Links

Home
Speaking & Events
About
​Contact
Spiritual Nuggets Past Articles

Stay In Touch

Join our Email List
For Email Marketing you can trust.
Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Service  |  Copyright Emeth in Agape  |  Website by iTrust Marketing
  • Home
  • About
    • About Yvonne
    • Bio & Mission
    • Published Books
  • Spiritual Nuggets
    • How To Overcome Fear-Revisited
    • What Do You Believe?
    • This Combination Opens the Narrow Gate It!
    • Past Articles >
  • Speaking & Events
  • Contact
  • Spiritual Nuggets Podcast