Weed Out Hate Day
It’s Weed Out Hate Day – How Will You Celebrate?
I hate hate.
It’s defined as extreme aversion or hostility toward someone or something. Like love, hate is described as a feeling. Like love, hate is a choice. April 3rd is the day to “weed out hate, ” and sow seeds of peace and kindness.
The Weed Out Hate Initiative began with Marc Daniels, whose grandfather Ross Daniels “invented the Ross Root Feeder®, an irrigation tool that to this day nurtures the deepest roots of trees and shrubs and connects millions of home owners to nature.”
It is Marc Daniels’ goal to educate children to make healthy connections with nature, friends, family, and society.
As I (Daniels) see it, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and Oskar Schindler are of a kindred spirit: Though individuals from different times, places and cultures, they recognized bias and hatred when they saw it, and recognized that only by taking positive social action, at enormous risk to their personal safety, could they nurture and restore the roots of freedom and social justice.
I hate evil, and hating people is evil.
God’s Word is clear – hate evil and love people.
David said,
You who love the Lord, hate evil! Psalm 97:10
Jesus said,
“You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.” Matthew 24:9
“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Luke 6:27
Paul said,
Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. Romans 1:29
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Romans 12:9
Hate is a decision. Love is a decision.
As parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, friends, and neighbors today is the day for us to choose to hate evil and love people. No more generalizations. No more jokes or derogatory comments about people groups for any reason. That doesn’t mean we have to agree with everything they do or say, or every decision they make. The opposite of hatred is love not approval.
Love wins when we refuse to allow bigotry in our lives. Love wins when we listen to each other. Love wins when we speak truth with kindness. Love wins when we weed out hate.
Celebrate today by going to your garden and pull a weed. Then plant a flower in its place. Read The Good Samaritan with your family, and talk about specific ways you can show love to those whose looks or thoughts differ from yours.