Hate is Too Great a Burden
- Whitney Sparks
- Jan 20, 2025
- 3 min read
"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear" - Martin Luther King, Jr.
As I think about this quote from the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I begin to see the truth behind his statement. Instead of fighting his battles with anger and hatred, he fought them with the love of Jesus.
Did you know that Jesus commands this same love from us today?
Learning to hate someone takes an immense amount of work. There is usually an underlying work of the flesh that leads to this hatred. For example, hatred can begin to form after you allow jealousy or envy to seep in. Remember the story of Joseph? The hatred his brothers had for him slowly festered and it began with jealousy of their father's love for their young brother.
Envy can seep into our lives just as quickly as it entered the hearts of Joseph's brothers.
Let me share with you a few examples.
You may be upset because your enemy, who treats everyone like dirt, is successful according to the world's standards. Maybe you are envious of sinful people in the workplace, who have no qualms about hiding their sin, who climb the corporate ladder while you remain in the same low-paying position year after year. You might feel hurt because your spouse or loved acts unkind to you but in front of others he/she is the seen as the most loving person on the planet.
Whatever the case, hating someone does not take place overnight.
In my younger days, certain things mattered to me - corporate ladders, receiving recognition from my boss, receiving approval from others, being loved by everyone. Seriously! As I've grown in my spiritual walk with Jesus, I have learned to loosen the grip on these material things that in the end, really don't matter.
So often when we think of Galatians chapter 5, we focus on the Fruits of the Spirit. Sometimes we overlook, or purposely like to skip, the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21. "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
What an exhaustive list! Just look at how many works correlate with hatred.
My friend, if you are a child of the King, God has called you to a higher purpose. We are to love one another regardless of their race, religion, or actions toward us. Love is not easy. This is something we all have to practice. When we learn to love like Jesus, so many other beautiful Fruits of the Spirit begin to fall into place. Taste and see the goodness of God through the following attributes.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another" (Galatians 5:22-26).
I am providing you with a list that combat the works of the flesh with verses centered around love. I hope you find them helpful. I also wrote a devotional book entitled, Dwell with Me: Growing in Your Spiritual Walk with Jesus" now available on Amazon where I talk about each Fruit of the Spirit. Feel free to check it out!
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