Seven Shades Of Hate

  Most of us have watched movies depicting a bigot. We have heard their arguments that attempt to rationalize twisted viewpoints, ignorant rants of propaganda and malicious violence. As spectators, we tend to cast these idiots off as bad-apples and think little of them or the rhetoric they spew. 

We forget that these individuals are not alone in their mindsets, and their negativity actively seeks to draw large followings. Haters need support, and they prey on those who are hurting and looking for someone to blame. Their modus operandi is simple – point their hateful fingers at someone or some group of people and blame them for all the ills in the world.  

This tactic has been successful from the beginning of time – just read your Bible. For instance: One group of Herdsman look upon a lush-green landscape and decide they want it. First, they must roust an army with hate propaganda…

“Why should those terrible, less-than-humans, enjoy that land – they don’t deserve – we do!”

“Are we less than men? Are we going to just sit back and watch our children starve while those good-for-nothings have all that good land, and we have nothing?”

“They don’t need all that good land – they don’t appreciate it. They don’t even know what to do with it. Think of all the good we could do if we, had it?”

“If we ask them to share the land, they may conspire to kick us out later – so we should be on the safe side and wipe them out so that we don't have to worry about them later on.”

“We are doing them a favor, that can’t be happy living the way they are – they don’t have our God, Technology, Bloodline...Whatever.”

I’m sure you see the pattern by now. The process of hate is as simple as 1-2-3. First, there is the covetous nature of the hater to want something that the “OTHERS” have. Next, they must dehumanize the “OTHERS” to justify the evil they are plotting. Lastly, there is the rallying cry that gets members on board with the plan of destruction of “The OTHERS.”

The process of convincing followers to join in the eradication of a group of people is not a difficult undertaking when tapping into the hurts and pains of “Lazy People,” who are looking for a way out of their own situation with a quick-fix, rather than attacking the heart of their plight. Perhaps they are not using their own resources effectively? It may be that they need to seek new modes and technologies? In truth – blaming “OTHERS,” is the easiest and most cowardly way to address the ills they are facing. 

It is challenging to think of new ways to operate, implement untried and untested methods and engage new ideas. Slaughtering one’s neighbor in a jealous rage and taking their goods is the way Cane did it with his brother, Able and people are still using that method today. Throughout history, entire tribes and whole cultures have been decimated from the face of the earth by neighboring peoples who wanted their land, women and resources. That said, here are the seven shades of hate.

1. SELF HATRED
As the most pervasive and insidious form of hatred; Self-Hate can spread exponentially from the afflicted person to all their contacts and interactions. They are perpetually discontent and seek to ensure that no one else enjoys peace. They find fault in all things and all peoples. Furthermore, they live as a blight upon the earth and prayer and therapy is needed to restore a sense of humanity into their hearts.

2. COVETOUS / ENVY /WANT
Necessity is said to be the mother of invention, but want one of the founding-fathers of hate, as it tends to beget envy. In the example above, we see a tribe who has not considered exploring new ways to cultivate their own land, so that it might become more fruitful and productive – instead they have said in their hearts, “Let us take the good land from those people who posses it.” Want is not to be confused with need. Most people will find a way to obtain the things that they genuinely “NEED,” to survive – while want is often the lack of satisfaction with what one already possesses. Want a bigger home, a nicer car, the latest fashion, to keep up with the Jones. Want begets a covetous spirit. We covet, first with our eyes (seeing something that someone else has), then in our hearts (devising a plot to take it from them).

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3. BITTERNESS
Unresolved issues, especially those derived in childhood, can lead to a lifetime of hostile emotions associated with the issue – in particular. An abusive parent may raise a child, who, in-turn, abuses others. Bullying has a particularly cruel side effect, as many adults are still living with the pain of being bullied during childhood. 

The feeling of helplessness suffered during childhood abuses can often resurface in the face of adult situations of stress, causing the victim to re-live those childhood experiences in full detail. The ability to forgive and move-on is sometimes lost when the victim has learned to use that bitterness as a crutch or a weapon. The very bitter memories that caused great pain are the same ones that drive the need for approval in some individuals and fuel success in others.

4. PROJECTIONS
Like Self-Hate, "Projecting" stems from ones’ own dysfunction: A thief may feel that everyone steals. A Liar may doubt the honesty of everyone else. An unfaithful spouse may project suspicion on their mate. We have all heard the term, “It’s OK, everyone is doing it.” This is another form of projection – as one must convince themselves that their behavior is socially acceptable by projecting their own standards upon others in order to justify and continue the negative behavior.

5. ISM
Separatism, Fascism, Racism, Sexism – The list is endless as the “Us-Vs-Them,” mindset keeps people from investigating unity and engaging in peace. Our differences are a part of our beauty. But Isms set us apart from one-anther and creates untold strife.

6. GOD COMPLEX
History has provided countless Tyrants who’s God-complexes have driven them to act-out mad fantasies, blood-lusts, mass murders and the like. The serial killer who derives sexual excitement from the torture of innocence is in league with the dictator, whose desire for total control and unquestioned obedience leads to human slaughter in mass numbers. 

The same lack of humanity and regard for life drives a hunter to kill an endangered animal for sport. Control-Freaks are found in Abusive Homes, Cults, Government Offices, Sweat-Shops, Prostitution Stables, Correctional Facilities, Squad-Cars and every other walk of life where one has been entrusted with power over others. As power often breads corruption, we needn’t look far to witness the God-complex in action as the entrusted power is abused.  

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        7. DEMONIC SPIRITS

Surely, all the aforementioned aspects are the result of evil spirits inhabiting the minds of those who perpetrate evil deeds. There are those who struggle with the very ideas they expound, while there are those who are steadfast in destructive pursuits. Demons assist weak-minded persons by providing examples and reasons to continue on their wayward paths, while others may seek to correct themselves; cease and desist their actions and get help to live a better quality of life as they realize the pain they are causing others and themselves.

The neglected and abused child and the spoiled brat may internalize the world around them differently, but it is how they process the growing pangs of life that will determine the level of compassion they possess for their fellow-man. A spirit of peace-loving, brotherhood is not inherently given to the poor or the victimized, but it is the product of meekness and empathy. It is the duty of each of us to focus on the positive aspects of our existence upon the face of the earth, strive towards goodness, spread good-cheer and be prepared to fight tyranny and hate with love and compassion as our weapons of choice. This is how we, each of us share love and banish evil in our own corner of the world.

SHINE BRIGHTLY

Hello my friend. I take it that you, like most of us, are going through something. I’m here today to share a bit about adversity: you know, those challenges that seem to turn us every which way but loose…

We hate to see it coming, but come it must, if we are to evolve as people. There is much to be learned and gained by adversity. Just look at a baby learning to walk; it’s the falling down that teaches the babe to balance and hold on to support. Likewise, we find our truest strength in adverse situations: overcoming and persevering teaches us to trust ourselves and the wise counsel of others. We experience growth from pushing through the pain and we gain stability and greater self-reliance.

Most of us love to shine. We brush and polish our hair, teeth and skin into a state of radiance. But when it comes to our souls, we resist the abrasion, the heat, friction and pressure that fashion us into better human beings, enabling us to shine brightly for Christ.

A SERIOUS BLOW

Each of us have felt the sting (That JOLT to the very core of your being) that causes one to rethink all we previously took for-granted as FACT. For me, this happened in rapid succession, from 2007 to 2012; and like most Americans, I didn’t feel the economic burn until financial irritations became gaping wounds in my wallet.

Along with Identity Theft, Major Surgery, An Auto Wreck and World Wide Economic Downturn, there was also my deadly (Unrealistic) mind-set that kept me trudging along, hoping things would somehow change for the better. I didn’t realize that the only true change was needed in my thinking and course of action.

You see, there’s and old saying:

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  Albert Einstein

That was me. I was behaving insanely, like millions of others, and didn’t know it. Because what I’d been doing had worked so well in the past, I wasn’t diligently seeking a new way. Trying to maintain became spinning my wheels. Spinning my wheels turned into drowning in debt. Debt evolved into a toxic entity that took on a life of it’s own and started eroding all I’d worked for, whipping out my accomplishments and sources of joy.

Debt, with it’s insidious attributes, ate away my confidence, savings, relationships and my health. The stress was overwhelming. Not just the collection calls and endless letters, but the way people treated me (Total lack of respect) not to mention the constant effort to merely survive.

When more money is going out than coming in the break-point is inevitable and looming very near. So it was for me during those years of continuous economic decline. Simple things like food, utilities and cleaning supplies became scarce. And as Pride goeth before the fall, I kept my situation private, refusing to ask for help.

Mind you; I knew there were many facing the same dilemma, so I didn’t feel singled out. But my concern was with the woman reflected in the mirror. The woman I saw wasn’t the smart chick I’d grown to know, but some half-wit, trying to shore up a dam with a wad of gum. I couldn’t believe it had all come to this.

Over and over, I heard my Dad’s voice: “You can be too good for your own good.” When he was alive and spoke these word, I didn’t understand the meaning. I thought he meant that I shouldn’t be so charitable. But that wasn’t what he was talking about at all.

Dad was saying read the fine print twice and never make a deal on a handshake. He was instructing me to be more prudent in business, judgmental in finances and to understand that every offer is made for the benefit of the one making the offer – not the receiver. Dad wasn’t telling me “Not to be nice”, he was simply saying, “Don’t take any wooden nickels!”

 And in a world where there is a scam around every corner, that’s really sound advice.

Dad would often say: “Hope for the best…Plan for the worst.”

This too was advice I’d failed to take heed of. I didn’t foresee the worst until it was nearly too late. I was on the brink of filing bankruptcy before the true culprit was revealed. Only after learning that most of my financial issues weren’t lack of income (I was making good money) but my credit score was damaged by persons using my personal information to no good end. I’d had no idea the amount of falsified debt that was looming against me and how this was effecting my ability to gain the working capital I desperately needed to grow my business at the most critical growth point. Everywhere I turned, there were doors closed in my face and I had no concept of the real reason why.

As the DIVINE order of God’s Mercy prevailed, I met a man who was a credit counselor, through a mutual friend. I took his class and learned to read and monitor my Credit Report.

This marked the beginning of a new era for me and my business. It was a long road to financial recovery because the damage was so widespread. But the journey has been a Blessing, indeed. Not only have all my genuine accounts been verified, the discrepancies cleared, and my good name restored; my credit is now in good standing and my score has risen substantially.

It was a tremendous blow to learn that I’d been victimized, but the lessons and restoration that resulted is nothing short of a miraculous gift from God above.

And to quote my Dad…

“I’m living bout like I wanna.”   

SEEING LIFE WITH NEW EYES

I’d been looking at my situation as one of dire straits because it was uncomfortable and amazingly challenging. There were times when I thought walking away from it all would afford me, at the very least, a bit of R&R. 

Truth be told…despite the dreadfulness of it all, I am simply not a quitter. I’m tenacious and once I sink my teeth into and idea I’m not easily dissuaded. I have to live with my choices and that gives me more courage; puts for bite into my fight. It’s not that I don’t know how to let go, I simply choose not to be intimidated into letting go. And when I do walk away, it’s because I have calculated the value of doing so. 

That said; Satan took it upon himself to challenge my stance on this issue and to present me with the most difficult question I’d ever had to ask myself…

“Should I continue to fight for my home?” 

Of course, Satan was there at every turn with opposing views and indecision. But it was I - Me, who had to make the choice and to  not allow emotion or interference sway my judgment. People and their opinions often came into play. But again, I was the one living this nightmare and I knew that it was not an accident that Jehovah, in all His infinite wisdom, had allowed me to come to this place in my life. So, being the adventurer that I am, I sought to find out what I was that I was positioned to learn and how it might help others facing a similar plight. 

It didn’t take long for me to realize that our darkest days are the ones that prepare use to rejoice in the brightest light - like the storms that cause us to appreciate the calm after it has pasted. 

I’m still in the midst of this storm. But I’m in a stronger boat now. A boat made of appreciation. From the portholes of this vessel I see my situation and life in general in a new light. One of brilliance and Glory, because I’m so grateful to be so Blessed. It’s not about what happens to me or even how I fare as a result of the outcome. It’s all about what I’ve been fortunate to learn and how my experience might inform and encourage someone else who has found themselves in a similar predicament. 

I believe that all will turn out rosy and rewarding. But right here - right now, all is well with my soul. I know unequivocally and unquestionably that this experience, like all others, is shaping me and my life to be more efficient, effective and infectious when I tell people about the Glory of Christ and what He has done in my life. 

I have human eyes to see and appreciate all the beauty that is everywhere around and about me on this lovely, green earth. But I also have spirit eyes to see that which is less visible, obscured by the clouds of trials and tribulations. It’s through these spirit eyes that I view my situations and place merit on all the lessons learned by going through them. The pain and heartaches are not in vain and I strive to share these lessons with any and all who would take something away with them and put it to good use. 

I’m sharing this with you because I know that you too may be going through a painful time that has caused you to question…

“What did I do to deserve this?”

“Where is God now?”

“Why me?”

Or any of the other gazillion retorts that we spout when we hurt.  

I am not here to make light of my situation, because it is a mess. I simply want to convey that there is nothing that I can not handle because I know that I not in this by myself and I and not doing all this for myself. There’s a bigger picture. I see it far more clearly now…with my new eyes…SMILE*

THE UGLIEST LIE EVER TOLD

Sometimes we opens our mouths to explain all that we don’t have, our short-comings and the reasons why “we can’t.” Little do we know that God has given each of us everything that we need to proceed in the task(s) that He has allotted us. But knowing how to proceed requires faith and hearing from The Lord. Like putting a puzzle together; all the pieces lay before us, yet we need a system to fit them correctly. And it helps to have an image of the desired outcome - the finished product. The picture is a continual source of direction that helps us stay on track, like the visions or dreams that God has set upon our hearts.

Just as we can get stuck and confused when putting a puzzle together, life’s journey can seem full of missing pieces and confusing diagrams. Often, life’s questions leave us feeling incomplete and inadequate. But, just as the picture on the puzzle box instills hope of completion, God has a grand vision for the lives of each of us. We need but look to His word and hear His voice in Prayer to begin/continue putting the pieces together: Working with God to create the masterpieces which are our lives.

The pieces are here. The ugly lie is that we “Ain’t Got”, “Don’t Have” or “Can’t Get” what we need to get the job done. Satan is the father of lies and this one takes the cake because The Twenty Third Psalm says…

 

             THE LORD IS MY SHEPARD AND I SHALL NOT WANT

If God cannot lie, and He has promised to supply ALL our NEEDS, then, it is not a matter of not having, but not using correctly what we do have. Here, in this land of plenty, we have too often believed this lie and fallen to the greatest depths of poverty and sickness. Confusion can lead us to use what we have unwisely. Anxiety can cause us to act hastily while fear can stifle us or prevent us from taking action at all.

Provisions and resources are too easily mismanaged or gobbled up by mishaps too numerous to name. Misguided emotions and misplaced affections only add to the mayhem. But the reality remains. We do have all we need to at least get started. And that’s what’s important - to get started. The challenge is vanquishing the lies that resound in our psyche, telling us all that we are lacking.

 

                                    I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH…

Ability, Knowledge, Patience, Power, Energy, Friends,  Money, Time, Connections

…aren’t original thoughts of the heart. They are the lies of the great pimp Satan who would have us believe that we are less than Children of The King, Lord God Jehovah. And if that lie doesn’t take hold and corrupt the soul the Devil simply lays down a more subtle version of the same brand of deceit. A lie telling us that what we do have available simply isn’t good enough. My house, looks, car, education, clout, voice or whatever, just won’t cut it. The truth is that we can start with what we have and build; improving as we learn more through experience and Faith.

Moses didn’t think he had “The Right Stuff” either, but that’s because he really didn’t want to do the job…who would? Come on - it seemed more like a suicide mission than A Great Calling. And God didn’t tell Moses anything about being a Historical Biblical Figure. But we are quick to react the same way, even though we know God has us covered, even if the situations get sticky and the puzzle pieces seem scattered to and fro. We know it from His Word, our own personal histories, the tales of those who have counseled us and we have but to look about and see how God is working wonders in the lives of believers every moment of every day. The believers God is using have challenges and issues of every imaginable kind. Yet they proceed because THEY MUST, THEY CAN, THEY LIVE FOR IT. They understand that if God be for them; who/what can stand against them? Diligent Believers fall, get back up, get knocked down, even trampled, knowing that each breath of life is another opportunity to continue the work of God…one more puzzle piece…because it’s there. And the lies are drowned out and subdued by Praises and shouts of Victory in Jesus.