Weren’t you just heartbroken over the events last week in Charlottesville?

I turned on the TV to see the kind of hate that took my breath away.  It made me scratch your head and wonder, “where does that come from?”  Many mothers and fathers were shocked to see their own children behaving like that, declaring, “we didn’t raise our child to be that way!”

I believe hate often comes from fear.  When people become self-absorbed, selfish and focused on only their self-preservation, they learn to hate anyone different than them.

But hate is the opposite of what we’re called to do as followers of Christ. We’re called to love, even our enemies.  We’re called to forgive.

So how do we move forward?  How do we stay positive in the midst of so much hate?  We focus on love.  When we’re grounded in His love, we are free to love others.  Perfect love drives out fear.  (I John 4:18).

When I see the colorblind love just in my own family, I’m encouraged that things have changed and will continue to change.  My sister and her husband adopted a biracial son.  My niece and her husband are foster parents.  So far, all 4 children placed in their home have been African American.  We’ve all fallen in love with these precious kids.

My pastor growing up in Jupiter, Florida made us all repeat after him over and over, “Love initiates.” We need to actively look for ways we can love others, no matter how different their race, religion, political views, etc. We’re called to love God and love our neighbor. (Mark 12:30 -31)

Now, let’s get to work!