Good morning. In 1958 Hollywood released the movie South Pacific. It was based on the Rogers and Hammerstein 1949 stage production musical of the same name. (By the way, a 17-year-old Elizabeth Taylor tried out for the part of Nellie but she didn’t get it because her audition failed due to her extreme stage fright). The movie’s theme centers upon racial prejudice. There is a song called “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” that points out that hatred for other people is not natural, it needs to be carefully taught.
Small children don’t care about race, or ethnicity, or politics, or gender, or much of anything other than whether the other child is able to play. If only our world could take a moment to learn from them.
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14
I wonder if that truth about little ones not having a prejudiced thought is part of what makes Jesus proclaim that they are so worthy?
Jesus also tells us: But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… Matthew 5:44
We read in 1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
We live in a world today that seems dedicated to hatred. Each hateful word and thought is a victory for our true enemy. It is also not unexpected and was prophesied in the Book of Revelation as a condition of the world before the Lord’s return.
Whether we are talking about the tragedies of the Middle East, or of the Ukraine, or of any American urban area, to name a few places, hatred seems extreme.
What are we to do? We are to live love. We are to share love. We are to lovingly forgive. We are to lovingly give help. We are to reveal the love of God in all that we do and say.
I will not put in print here 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, but I challenge you to read those verses today. Please do so, and please consider that wonderful definition of agape love.
We may not be able to end the hatred of the world, but we can do our part. We can commit ourselves to thinking loving thoughts and acting in loving ways.
With the Lord’s help, we can love. Win your own victory over hate today.
Vern