I Do Not Want To Be Mrs. Paddy

"I hate everything in the world!"
      
These are the words of Mrs. Paddy, a character in the play The Curious Savage. Mrs. Paddy is a very interesting woman. She gives up electricity for Lent, and likes to paint seascapes, even though she's never been to the sea. The most important thing to remember about her, though, is that she hates everything. Throughout the play she stands up to loudly declare, "I hate everything in the world..." followed by a lengthy list of everything she hates. Every time she stands up to spew forth her hatred everyone in the room ducks for cover. I don't blame them.
      
I am terrified that I will become Mrs. Paddy.

It seems everyday I find something new to dislike. I hit my hand several times while I was making beds today. Guess what I hated? The beds. The other day I hated the heat. A few weeks ago I hated the music on the radio. And everyday I declare my dislike for the food here. More than that, I find myself hating people. It doesn't matter who it is or what they do, I will find some characteristic of theirs that I don't like and say to myself, "I hate that."

God has convicted me of how I use this powerful word "hate." It means to have an intense and/or passionate dislike for something or someone. Any word that uses the word "intense" in its definition should be classified as a word-to-be-used-with-caution, yet I overuse it all the time, forgetting how powerful words can be.

Another word with "intense" in its definition is the antonym of hate: love. Love is a word that Mrs. Paddy did not use, because it was the opposite of what she felt all the time: hate. I have been falling into this trap of always feeling hate for everything and everyone lately. But love, according to my Master, is what I am called to do. Why? Because that is what He did. He said, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) I am called to love people, even the ones that persecute me. Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians that he had learned to be content whatever the circumstance. I may not always love the beds, or the heat, or even the food, but I can learn to be content despite what is happening. My Master will teach me not to hate.

Of course, there are things that I believe in hating. I hate the injustice of slavery, of abortion, and sex-trafficking. I hate the evil that seeps into men and women's souls, and the apathy that overcomes me so often. I say I will do something, yet rarely do. The world spews forth hatred, just like Mrs. Paddy, and I duck for cover. The trouble is, I do not stand back up to fight.

I do not want to be Mrs. Paddy. I do not want to wake up one bright, new day and say, "I hate everything in this world. I hate it all, and I will never stop hating it." I want to wake up every day and say, "God, this is the day you have made, and this is the world you have created. I love you and I love what you have made." I do not want to alienate people with my hating. I want to show them something they might never have seen before. I want to show them the love of my Master.

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