When we boil decisions down to their essence, we are left with love and hate. Each of us makes a choice between the two dozens of times a day. “I can do this, or leave it for my spouse, co-worker, state employee, etc..” is a frequently made choice. Most of us think we are only affecting those affected by our choice. We affect ourselves, as well, often to a far greater degree.
Each choice should make us ask, “Am I on the side of love or hate?”
To see which feeling predominates in our lives, consider our spontaneous reactions. When we find ourselves saying “Good. Serves them right.” when something bad happens to others, we have moved toward hate. If the same occurrence finds us saying, “Oh, I hope no one was hurt.” we have sided with a kind and loving God.
We know that we want to be treated with love and kindness. Simple consistency demands that we then treat others the same way. Appreciating consistency is, in itself, an act of love.
After deciding that love is more important than hate, we must train ourselves to walk in the paths of Godliness. “I would not want a judge looking at my transgression and saying, ‘More punishment would serve him right.’ To expect mercy, I must become merciful.”
Then, pilgrim, we’re on our way!
