How does love turn to hate?

Have you ever been in a position where you loved someone so much that you'd go to the ends of the earth to  bring a smile to their face. Well, I have and not just in the romantic sense either. I've had friends that I loved so dearly, I would continually sacrifice my own personal desires to help them out. When someone you love so much hurts you or betrays you, you can almost feel your love turning into hate.

I once had a situation where I almost instantaneously went from loving an individual to hating them. It was so easy, it scared me. I had always heard the phrase, there's a thin line between love and hate, but never realised what it meant until that precise moment.  The fact that I had done so much for this person only to have it thrown in my face made me angry. I was more angry than hurt. In my heart, I began to wish all sorts of evil things would happen to the individual. My love had turned quickly. Before then, I always wondered how people could kill their significant others. At that point, it became clear to me. Hatred is a horribly dangerous things. It starts out quietly enough but pretty soon it permeates every part of our lives. It's like an ugly tree taking root in our souls and it takes years of hard work to dig it out.

The Bible rightly tells us in 1 John 3:15 that any one who hates his brother is guilty of murder. It really is very easy to go from hating someone to killing them; like every other sin, it starts out as a thought and slowly grows in our minds until we feel compelled to perform the action. Hatred really comes from un-forgiveness and we know what the Bible says about that. My days of hating that person are far behind me and now I see them and can say hello without malice of any kind. Today though, I was again reminded of that thin line when I pondered a situation that could easily have gone the same way. Thankfully, experience brings wisdom and I now know how to handle that thin line.

Don't let hatred sink it's talons into your heart, you will have an extremely hard time digging it out. Remember that you chose to love the person who has hurt you. Let's face it, only people we love can hurt us; another person may perform the same action but it won't leave a lasting scar on your heart. Remember that love is a decision and not a feeling. You can decide to keep loving someone even after they have hurt it. It doesn't mean that you should let them keep hurting you. By all means, keep your distance if you have to, but don't nurse un-forgiveness or hatred in your heart, they aren't worth the space they take up.

Be Blessed and have a great day!

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo