I listened to a movie today, while I was working, about a genocide that took place. It was very disturbing. My husband says that it is a human thing for us to put ourselves into groups. However, it seems to me that the only thing that comes from it is evil. People distinguish themselves from other people and then they find a reason to hate others who are different from themselves or who don’t belong to the same group.
I never understood it. I guess it is the OCD in me. I feel like an alien and different from everyone. I never felt like I belonged or was part of any group. There was no reason for me to distinguish myself from others or find a reason to hate my neighbor.
Then, I learned about God’s commandments to love my brothers and sisters in Christ as I would love myself. He doesn’t say to love just a select few; He says to love everyone. When I don’t think about it, the commandment seems easy. I just need to love strangers. That doesn’t seem too difficult. Yet, it is so much more difficult than that. If I love everyone, then I have to love murderers, pedophiles, serial rapists, war criminals, and all kinds of other evil men. I have to love the very people who would rather spit on my dead body than look me in the eye.
And I willing do. It isn’t easy. I feel hate in my heart for the evil acts that men do against men. It scares me to see the violence and hatred in our world whenever I look at the news. The reason I don’t give into the hate and fear is my faith. I believe in God’s love and when He commands me to love there’s a reason for it. I have enough faith in that love that I would die for it. What a wonderful world it would be if everyone was willing to die for love.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all our hearts.
