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Do you want the bad news or the good news?

I’m new to wearing glasses. After the first day of trying to adjust, I was convinced they made my vision worse rather than better. It seemed everything was actually blurrier than before. I pulled the glasses off my face and held them to the light. That’s when I noticed the problem. The lenses were plastered with smudges. After giving them a thorough wipe down, I felt like I was seeing with perfect clarity. It was amazing. Now I’m slightly addicted to cleaning the lenses. The smallest smudge brings out the spray and cloth. After realizing the small shift required in seeing better, why would I ever choose to look through dirty lenses?

There are points in our spiritual walks where we encounter that moment where we see something with a new perspective or greater clarity. From that moment forward, it’s hard to look at circumstances through old perspectives.

A friend and I discussed the issue of hate we see in the world. Both of us are Christians, so naturally our hearts break because God is love. He hates hate because He is love. We are His image bearers. Therefore, our hearts are broken over what we see happening in the world. As it should be.

She and I discussed the Atlanta murders in the Asian massage parlors. While some of the media portrayed a race hate crime, the murderer actually said he targeted the parlors because what they represent to him – his sexual addiction. His sin caused him to murder.

 “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature[d] a slave to the law of sin.” Romans 7:21-25

Before any of us come to Christ, we are slaves to the sin nature that lives inside of us. It looks different for everyone. Not everyone will go murder out of their sin natured self. But all of us have a sin problem. The good news is the answer is with us if we are willing.

As my friend and I discussed the issue of hate, she was bothered about this issue close to her heart she feels no one is talking about. My initial response is that our world is so weighed down right now with so much that we can’t possibly talk about all of it. The world is weighted heavy these days. We all feel it.

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Romans 8:22

I continued pondering our conversation long after it ended.

Not all will come to Him, we know this. But His heart is that everyone will. So we see His patience, kindness, and mercy.

Why aren’t we shouting this from the rooftops?

“My mouth will tell about Your righteousness and Your salvation all day long, though I cannot sum them up.” Psalm 71:15

The world needs to hear about His love. The media is out to get a reaction out of you. They want you to feel angry and outraged. They want to scare you. The media loves to tell a bad story. But God tells a good story. A very good story.

Let’s tell His story to all who will listen. This is how to combat hate. This is how to fight evil. With love and truth.