The Better Choice

As our mothers visited in the kitchen, my best friend and I played a game in the next room. But we soon disagreed on the rules and started arguing. Finally we hurled the worst words our young imaginations could conjure: “I hate you!”

My mother came into the room with a serious look on her face. “We don’t say ‘hate’ in this house! You can be mad, but we don’t hate each other.” She was right. Our anger had gotten the better of us, and my friend and I had forgotten how much we loved each other. We hugged and went back to playing. Years later, as an adult, I’ve found myself getting angry with people who’ve offended me, especially people who have insulted my faith. And every time I remembered Mom’s simple words: “We don’t hate.”

Hate is the easy choice. But Jesus gave us a more challenging call: to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (see Matt. 5:43-44). It takes strength to step back from our anger. It takes courage to pray for people who have hurt us. But Jesus commands: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn. 13:34-35). Love is always the better choice.