Let go of hatred

Writer Mark Schwartz of  Home Living website made this striking and profound statement, “If you want to improve your life, you have to travel light. That is, you have to learn to let go of self-defeating emotions such anger and hate.”

This  statement reminded me of what a young woman  confided. She said that she truly hated her mother for leaving her. Her mother left for the United States when she was a child, placing her under the care of a grandmother. To top it all, when the mother got married, she even denied her existence. But her being close to the Lord made her forgive her mother. She even helped her redeemed the mortgage of  her house and lot when she asked for her help. She said, “Though I feel that she doesn’t love me as much as she does her husband, I still love her despite of everything. After all, I have only one mother.”

I truly admire this young woman’s forgiving heart. No wonder she has prospered much in her career and has been married to a loving man. Now, she is happily living in the United States.

Writer Kavita G of  Home Self Improvement Stress Management website commented, “Hate is like the parasite which stays inside us and slowly eats us. The person we hate seldom gets affected by our hatred and often does not realize it. Hence, we should let go of hate and let love and affection take its place.”

Catherine Moran of  the Women and Hope website, has this reminder, “If  we wish peace for ourselves, we must first wish peace for others. How do we do that? I think a good place to start is to take “hate” out of our thoughts and mind.  It’s easy to say you’re not a hater, but to truly live a life without hating is not that easy.”

What shall we do to avoid the poisonous effect of hatred in our inner being? Moran cites the following tips:

Start with yourself. Stop hating yourself. Stop hating your weight, your looks, your job, your face, your inabilities and so on. The first step might be the most difficult, but it is also the most important. Learn to love yourself.

Stop hating the uncontrollable situations in your life. Things like the traffic, the news, the bills, or any circumstances in your life  that makes you angry but you have no control over. When you feel yourself getting impatient like in traffic jam, use this time to reflect  on your need to learn how to be more patient. Do this type of reflection with all the uncontrollable inconveniences that you hate in your life.

Stop hating people in your life. If someone chooses to hate you, you do not have to choose to hate them back. When you allow yourself  to hate anyone in your life (no matter how justified you feel), the person you hurt the most is yourself. Did you ever notice how one angry thought can cause a domino effect in your life? Like, you might be mad at your boss, but when you come home, you may take it out on someone in your family or maybe even to a stranger. Hatred is the boss and you are his slave. Hence, bear this in mind, “ Quitting hatred is like deciding to quit a long addiction toward negativity.”

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Email: kathey_oyson@yahoo.com.