We live in a world
that sometimes looks like having much hate than love. There is hate in our
families, organizations, communities and individual nations. Yesterday I read
an article shared by a local radio station from my hometown in Uganda that
talked of how a 15-year-old boy killed his 17-year-old brother because of a
simple misunderstanding. I do not think this 15-year-old boy intended to kill
his brother; he just could not control his anger. How many times do you and I
act out of anger? For people in authority, one act of anger can be a big toll
to handle. You see, anger can make you do something that you might live to
regret the rest of your life if Jesus does not help you to be over it. This
15-year old is still on the run. The police and family members are still
searching for him. Meanwhile, the burial of his 17-year old brother was
yesterday.
The media tends to
fill our minds with hateful information all over the world. People end up
living lives that are different from whom they truly are for fear of dislike
from those around them. Selfishness and egocentrism seem to be the engine that
drives the world today. Many people have written about leadership and every
leader can point on who a bad leader is. Not even the world’s best toxic
leaders think they are toxic. They still think of themselves as the greatest
leaders. So often, we do not create time to reflect on our leadership. Do we
ever realize that we may not be walking our talk? As an immigrant on the
American soil, I feel like the immigration policies can be better. I do not
think that separating children from their parents in a bid of making America
great again is a good idea. Do not get me wrong, it is okay to apprehend
illegal people. Certainly, not all immigrants are bad. I assume, some can be
good people and can have a contribution to make towards making America great
again. I bet I could be wrong on this since I am not an immigration expert!
Competition does not
do any justice to Love either. What ought to be a common purpose becomes a
point of driving tense relationships. Should people that are in the same
business of fighting a similar social issue like hunger have time to blame each
other for what the other is doing wrong? Why should one’s advert be all about
the wrong things that the other company does with a justification that their
company is the only legit one in the field? Why don’t we conduct benchmarks or
our individual and organization’s performance? I think that an advert just for
your unique products and services with value propositions well stipulated
serves the purpose. My marketing experience tells me that one can still make a
sale without tarnishing the name of his/her competitors. It pains my heart when
I see fundraising appeals from organizations claiming to do God’s work painting
the name of similar organizations dark.
You and I may not have
the capacity of preventing others to commit acts of hate but we can love in a
way that makes love outweigh hate. The different factions in which we were born
should not be a divisive factor. It should instead be a reason to celebrate
diversity. Somehow, someway, we should not let hate continue to drive away the
love that we share as humans.
Here are four ways of
being agents of love in a world full of hate.
1.
Value the opinions of others and respect them as individuals.
Maybe you think you are right all the time and do not like it when people tell
you that you go wrong sometimes. Maybe you need to be a little more empathetic
in your code of conduct.
2.
Be generous by sharing what you have. You and I might be
having different beliefs but what is common to us is that we all have what to
share. I am a firm believer in sharing the little that I have right here, right
now. You and I can be intentional at giving back to the world irrespective of
whether we believe in God or good luck or karma.
3.
As the need arises, compliment others. Good should be good
no matter the person who does it. We can all begin from the point of
appreciating the contributions that others’ make before discrediting their
intentions.
4.
Aim at the big picture. If you and I are in the business of
feeding people, we should realize that any child fed is a reduction on the 10
billion children that are dying of hunger in the world today.
At least every key
player in the world wants to make the world a better place. Does making the
world a better place necessitate us to build our own kingdoms at the expense of
destroying other people’s kingdoms? As humanity, making the world a better
place should be what makes you and I out of bed every day. Making self-centered
decisions can lead to poor implementation strategies if our decisions are not
checked. I love to think that I am not in the business of building my own
kingdom but in the business of building God’s kingdom. Therefore, friends, be
different as you make a difference today. Have a blessed day. #love #fruitsofthespirit
