“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first.” John 15:18
Hatred is sin and sin is awful. It is the enemy of all that is good. It is personal, attacking the most intimate places in our lives. It is both very public and very private. Sin takes no prisoners. It leaves a path of destruction, a wasteland of despair.
Whether it is our free choice to sin, or another’s behavior, the consequences are the most painful experiences man will ever know. It’s difficult to write the words rape, murder, assault, theft, lies and gossip, the blueprint for death and trauma in every secret corner or our being, that leave victims publicly shamed and vulnerable.
These are the things Jesus carried to Calvary. It wasn’t wood and steel that bound our Savior to that cross, it was the things listed above and then some. His antidote was love.
When sin hurts, remember, it isn’t a sin against you, it is a sin against God. Give it to Him. His love, wisdom and justice can and will deal with it appropriately, leaving us to live in peace with ourselves and each other.
Have a MOST Blessed Good Friday,
Gretchen