A Hated Love

Do you love easily? If so, that's great, although I'm sure at one point or another, love hasn't come so easy. Maybe when someone frustrates you, hurts you, breaks you, burns you, so many things can make loving difficult. As the church, as a Child of God, and an ambassador for Him, we are called to love. We grow up learning "the Golden Rule," love God and others. We learn the command, love your enemies from an early age. Love is discussed frequently, because God is discussed frequently, and God is love. One Sunday, as I attended church, I listened as my pastor continuously said the word love, and as he reminded us that as the church, we are to love, despite people we disagree with, people who frustrate us, no matter what, we are to love. He gave some examples of loving people, I recognized that some of them I had done recently, but when I loved them in those ways, I ended up being rejected. My love, the way I loved, the way I was taught to love, the way Jesus loved, was seen as hate. I wondered, how do you love people who view your love as hate? I thought about it and do think about it often. My answer? Continue to love with His love. Talking with my parents, we all quickly recognized, it's not that the way to love has changed, it's that people have redefined love. How? (Is what you're probably asking yourself). Love is no longer giving constructive criticism, helping each other from falling into sin, loving noticing the sin in each others lives, being honest, being vulnerable, sharing flaws, but rather love (to the world today) is agreeing with what they do and say, not calling them out in a loving manner, but being quiet, allowing them to dig their own grave. It's letting them sit in sin, breathe in the poison, and let them reserve their seat in despair, even though you have the Hope that can save. Silence your Hope and watch them dive into despair. Speak in a way that tells them they are wrong, you are rejected, pushed away, and cut off. No one wants to hear they are wrong.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:8

It. Always. Protects. Always. Hopes.

But when we try and protect others, when we remind them of Hope, when we try and protect them spiritually, we are rejected.

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. John 1:11

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. John 15:18

The entire world rejected and does reject Him. He was nailed to the cross and all He did was love others, all He was, was kind. Yet, they despised Him, we despised Him. Just as the world despises us and our love. Because it goes against the worlds definition of love, it does not agree with sin, it does not accept it, but lovingly we reject it. People don't want to hear they are wrong, so they will push you away for loving, they will turn their ears off, they will keep you on the outside, because they know how you love. They know, you will not tolerate, agree with, or accept their sin, because He doesn't, but He lovingly drags your sin, my sin, out into the light, and reveals the change that needs to happen, reveals the sickness (sin) that needs healing, the cancer(sin) that needs removing. So, when the world is angered at your love, because it confronts, CONTINUE TO LOVE, not the way the world wants you to, the way God wants you to, the way Jesus did and does.

As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. 1 Timothy 5:20

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Galatians 6:1

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20

This verse mentions covering a multitude of sins and several times throughout scripture you know what it says that covers a multitude of sins?

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.1 Peter 4:8

LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS, therefore the one who confronts, loves, according to James 5:19-20 True Love, the way we have been told to love, covers a multitude of sins, and rescues the ones who have a reserved seat in despair, and offers a seat to Hope. A love that gets no likes, because it offends, and it offends, because it reveals the sickness that is weakening every single one of us, But when you decide there is nothing that can be done to stop the sickness, when people point it out, you become self conscious, because you don't want to hear you're sick, you already know, you just don't want to take the Antidote. When sin becomes normalized, when people begin accepting it, you begin to enjoy being spiritually sick, because the lies come in telling you that you aren't sick, but rather, the healthiest you'll ever be. Because all of a sudden you've surrounded yourself with people who love to accept your sin, in fact love it, and who tell you that you aren't wrong, but right. That's why the way we love is hated, because the way the world loves is by telling people they are right, even if they are wrong. Everyones on a road to the end, the world is giving everyone the wrong directions, by continuing to tell everyone they are right. Which makes the way we love hated, because our love confronts and comforts, it isn't only comfort, which is the love the world sells. Just as discipline is loving, it isn't nice, it isn't enjoyable, but it is loving. That's what a confronting, comforting love is like.