“And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”  1 John 4:21

Actually this scripture passage is preceded with firmer verses, stating that anyone who says he loves God but hates his brother is a liar.  In other words, we cannot love the Creator (whom we have not seen) and at the same time hate the Creation (whom we have seen).

A few years ago, “The Hatfields and The McCoys” aired as a television mini-series.  If you don’t know the history of these post-Civil War era neighbors separated only by a river in West Virginia and Kentucky, suffice it to say it’s quite a drama.  Once close friends, the heads of the two families explode with hostility after increasing tensions and misunderstandings.  And, thus, the saga begins . . .

How many of our own families or neighborhoods are filled with resentments and hatred that has been handed down through the generations?  We know that we don’t have time for certain folks or can’t stand that side of the family.  But because years have passed (as well as people), we have no idea why.  We just know that they are ‘no good’, because that’s what we’ve always been told.  Well, let me tell you, my friend – life is too short.  I wonder how many people have gone to their grave never getting to know a really wonderful person because they were held back by ill-favored sentiments.

During a low time in my life, a friend and I had drifted apart. I had a feeling that she was angry with me.  While lesser-known acquaintances reached out to me, there had been no contact from my friend.  I began to develop anger, because this person had not made an effort to get in touch.  That year on her birthday while engaged in a familiar task, I was prompted to think of my friend.  Without much hesitation, I picked up the phone and called her stating that through my activity that day I had been reminded of her and consequently remembered her birthday.  The call was short, and my friend was surprised but gracious.  It was a beginning of the healing of my resentment for her inattentiveness.

Bitterness, jealousy, misinterpretation, stubbornness, lack of forgiveness . . . they all take you down a path you don’t want to go.  It’s indeed a low road:  one that leads to hatred, destruction, and possible woundedness.  Worse yet, it may ruin a relationship opportunity that may have otherwise been a blessing.  Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”

So get through it, get by it, get on with it – for life is really just too short.

REFLECTION:  For what person in your life do you hold a grudge, resentment, or hatred?  Can you remember why?  Would you be willing to take the first step to build a bridge, even if you perceive the problem was caused by the other person?  Do you need to seek or offer forgiveness?  Pray this week that God will remove your feelings, so that you can begin to repair the damage before it’s too late.

(MY NEXT WEEKLY DEVOTION WILL BE UPLOADED ON SAT. FEBRUARY 1, 2014.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF THE WEEKLY POSTINGS, SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: LookUpwrd@aol.com  YOUR ADDRESS WILL NOT BE SHARED AND IT’S FREE)