Combating Evil With Love

" Broccoli? Newman, you wouldn't eat broccoli if it was deep-fried in chocolate."

"Vile weed!" as Newman takes a bite of broccoli than spits it out.

-  Seinfeld episode

If only our hatred for broccoli (for some of us) were the least of our hatred in the world. With the Boston tragedy this past week along with other cowardly crimes within our world the past few months, it's an unfortunate reminder of how one word has destroyed our world since the beginning of time.

I recently finished watching the 3-part mini series The Hatfields and the Mccoys, the true story of a feud between two families that lasted for almost 40 years. The feud began when a Mccoy Union soldier was killed by a Hatfield in 1863. The feud escalated 13 years later after a dispute about the ownership of a hog. That's right, a hog!

 What's really sad is that between 1880-1891, the feud claimed the lives of more than a dozen members of both families, and over half of those were children.

When Sally, the wife of the Mccoy clan leader Randall Mccoy, finally figures it's time to end the feud, she gives her husband these powerful words of wisdom:

"You must let your heart break. Only when the most innocent part of you suffers can there be change, or else nothing remains of you."

It is most unfortunate that sometimes it's the sufferings and setbacks that are needed to change our callous hearts. In most cases, the strongest Christians who do the most good toward others are the one's who've been hurt the most.

Renowned evangelist Rick Warren once stated,

"I only hire staff who've been hurt deepily. People who've never suffered tend to be shallow and smug toward others pain."

A good, strong Christian would be one who takes the trials, mishaps, and struggles that they have gone through and uses them to not only build up their own faith, but to help others who are struggling.

Katrin Himmler. a great-niece of Heinrich Himmler who was one of Hitler's chief leaders, says,

"I don't believe I inherited his *badness*. But I live with his name. When the Holocaust documentary first aired, I sat and cried and cried because the Himmler name was repeated over and over again."

When Katrin was asked why she kept the name she simply stated,

"It doesn't change anything if I change my name. The problem is inside."

Hatred begins in the heart. But thankfully so does love. If there is any hatred, judgement of others, or jealousy of others within your heart, that can easily be changed by just asking God,

"Create in me a clean heart, O God. And renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)

When you get the chance, read Romans 12:9-21 where Paul gives basic instructions such as:

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink."

Paul gives us through these specific verses instructions on how to deal with those who persecute you, do evil toward you, and are your enemies. We are to bless those who persecute us, not to pay evil for evil, and not to be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Some strong instructions. Now if only us Christians can get our act together, change our hearts and show more love toward those in need, then maybe little by little the hatred within our world may diminish. And those that are on the receiving end of our acts of love, may they themselves in return begin to do the same.

If you live in an area with no access to a Bible, click on my homepage link to: www,biblegateway.com, for more of God's encouraging Word.