Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Hate is a strong word and life is a long time . . .

With all this crazy weather lately (a lot of snow where I am) I hear a lot of people talking about how they HATE winter. (Mostly my hubby). And I find myself saying, "don't say that . . . can't we find something we like about it because Hate is a strong word and Life is a long time. So it would be sad to take an entire season of each year and hate it." My hubby just laughs at me (because I don't think he REALLY hates it) but I have decided in my life that I won't hate anything. Why waste a portion of life or a part of this world that the Lord has created for us with bad feelings. Have we not heard "there is beauty all around"? Now while there are parts of life, I do not necessarily enjoy I have tried to prevent myself from saying that I hate something (and especially someone). When life is so long (and eternity even longer!) I don't want to rule out that someday I will enjoy or even LOVE the very thing I was tempted to "hate".

I feel that when you say you "hate" something, it seems to become a part of who you are. Like say, I hate broccoli (which I don't, but I know a few children who may say this). What if I always said that I hated it. I turned it down whenever it was offered to me, I started to see it in the store and make disgusting faces, I turned down meals that included it and then I just decided that me . . . I hate broccoli. Think of the great meals that may be missed!

How about this, decide that broccoli isn't my favorite thing right now, but let's not say we hate it. Let's not make it a part of who we are. Let's not rule it out. Because like mushrooms to a child, the taste may gross you out but it may grow on you and you may love them when your "taste buds" mature.

Why not find joy and greatness in EVERYTHING! Why not look for a reason to LOVE the snow instead of hating it. Look at the beauty it creates, look at the simple life you live when "snowed in". Look at the joy in your children's eyes when you make a snow fort or snowman.

Maybe for some things our "taste buds" haven't matured to the beauty something beholds. So don't rule it out, find the beauty in everything and everyone.

2 comments:

Christa said...

So true, I want to teach this value to my children, I encourage them to try everything, even at their young age, if they don't like it then okay, but I'm going to keep putting it on their plates and encourage them to try it atleast once each time we have it, just like other things in their life.

Jenni said...

I agree. People repeat things so often that they begin to define themselves by it. Hate is never a good thing, and it only brings us down.