A Season Of Hate

He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.  He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.   But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1 John 2: 9-11 NKJV

I've known for some time now that there is a enormous divide in our nation.  There are those on one side who adhere to our traditional values and freedoms and those who seem to mock what they see as a sad devotion to this country.  Being of the latter, I grew up in a country where liberty and freedom were the keys which unlocked opportunity.  There is a definate reason that people refer to these United States as the land of opportunity.  They may criticize and villify us, but in the end, their very desire is for the freedoms and opportunities which many of us take for granted.  There is a reason for which men and women young and old have spilled their blood and given their lives that this nation, their home, might survive.  The bodies of Americans laid to rest in Arlington, Virginia and Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France as well as other places of honor around the world testify to the lives given in sacrafice in defense of our nation.  Not only are we a nation of immigrants, but many have died in their attempts to reach our shores.  For it is not our land or scenery which draws those seeking a better life, but the freedoms we enjoy.  In a nation born out of protest, one of our most cherished freedoms is that which allows us to voice our opinions and disagreements without fear of facing prison or arrest.  However, in recent months there have been those who have used the very freedoms each of us enjoy to spread destruction , hate and death to innocent people.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside.   If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
~Abraham Lincoln~

In the wake of yet another senseless murder of three more police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, we are once again forced to confront the evil which we ourselves have spawned.  Good or bad, right or wrong, we are the ones who stand alone in the creation of a season of hate.  Our beliefs may not be the same as our neighbors, but that does not make us any less Americans.  It would seem that we have reached that tipping point in our society where law and order are no longer held sacred.  Instead, we have introduced chaos and murder as a sole remedy for expressing our anger.  This rhetoric, this violence, this cold blooded murder should not define who we are as a people.  This nation which has time and again rose above economic instability and racial hatred to become a beacon of hope for others is stronger than the hatred of a few.  As we once again prepare to lay to rest three more men who gave their lives in the defense of freedom, we are left with more than a few questions.  Will we submit to the hatred of a few in order to advance a radical agenda?  Or will we, as many who have gone before us, rise up in defense of this nation which we call our home?  Above all, the choice we are now faced with is simple.  Do we allow ourselves to be driven by hatred for those around us, or do we heed the call of our Lord Jesus that we "Love one another?"  In my opinion, the benefits of love always outweigh those of hatred.

~Scott~