So much hate seems to stem from how people respond to feeling disrespected. It can be triggered from something as trivial as  an accidental spilling of milk to being cut off on the highway to something as heart wrenching as losing a loved one in an act of violence.

What if we chose to respond to feeling disrespected with love instead of hate?

Is that choice even possible?

The answer is yes and it can happen right now!

Changing the world starts with changing how you view the world and then how you treat others in the world. If you view the world as a lost cause, then hate will win. If you view the world as a love cause, then the days of hate are numbered! Love can make a difference to the homeless.

You see this guy that was born 2,018 years ago proved that it can be done. He chose to love everyone regardless of how he was treated. His birth, life, and death was so profound that out of respect the majority of the world records history relevant to his time on earth. For example, today’s date.

Ultimately, genuine respect only happens when it is commanded, not demanded. If you think about it, God gave us COMMANDments…not DEMANDments.

God gave us instructions on how we should live, but also gave us the opportunity to choose. Why? To demonstrate His love for us. The only way to have TRUE  LOVE is with the freedom to choose not to love. He wants us to “gift” our love to Him and I’ve heard it said, “A gift that’s demanded is no gift at all.”

God’s greatest gift to us is Jesus! Jesus simplified all these instructions when he was asked what the greatest commandment is. “Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:37-40‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Above all else, God wants us to love! He wants us to love Him and everyone else, in every situation. In the end, the most beautiful part about choosing to love in response to when feeling disrespected is that it is then impossible to hate.

Now GO! Be STRONG and COURAGEOUS, and…
LOVE THE ONE IN FRONT OF YOU!