For decades Bob and I moved a lot. Because of that we did not accumulate “stuff.” But since we moved into this house in Caldwell in 2007, that pattern changed. I have a lot of stuff, much of which I do not need. I have been trying to rid this house of things I do not need, nor use, so that my kids will not have to do it one day.
A few months ago, I found a container in the garage. When I looked inside, I found all my old journals and a few books that I called “JoyBooks” where I would jot down sayings, jokes, and where I kept old comics and cards that I received in the 1990’s. I threw away the journals but kept the JoyBooks.
I have been posting things out of my JoyBooks on Facebook each day. The other day I found the following quote attributed to Booker T. Washington.
“I am determined to permit no man to narrow or degrade my soul by making me hate him.”
We know that God is love. We know that we are to love God and allow Him to love us. We know we are to love not only our friends but also our enemies. Why? Because “love builds up.” [1 Corinthians 8:1 HCSB]
Love edifies others. It builds them up. And it builds us up as we exercise it. Hate, however, tears down. It degrades our own souls even more than those we aim it towards. Wonder why our culture is in such danger? One reason may be that we are allowing hate to flourish and degrade the soul of our society.