May 19, 2019: A Very Thin Line – Michael Hidalgo

Don’t hate, love. Love, don’t hate. These are the two commands given here in the midst of incredible division for John’s community. It was being ripped apart by warring factions, and where there was once love, hate emerged. How does this so often happen? Two groups or two people who once enjoyed sweet fellowship and deep love can move so quickly toward abject hatred. Well, it’s because these two emotions are not opposites – the opposite of love is indifference, not hate.

This is important, because it may actually be a key toward overcoming hate. Rather than telling people to stop hating, we can be those who learn to love in practice. By seeking to name and recognize and own the way we have wounded, have been wounded and the fear we carry within us. In this, we will learn that our hate often simmers on the fires of something done to us by those we love. And if that’s the case, then we can take a step toward understanding where our relationship is between love and hate, and it will be worth it because of the love that has been there the whole time. After all, love and hate are only separated by a very thin line.