At 45 years old, I’ve lived long enough to recognize a pattern.

Hate isn’t new.

What is new is how bold it has become (again), and how tired it makes your soul. Hatred is EXHAUSTING!

I don’t see how people do it… choose to carry hate or anger in their hearts. Choose to be divisive. Choose to be bitter… they have so much energy devoted to negativity, greed and self-indulgence.

As a Black woman in America, I’ve watched race relations in particular rise and fall like waves. One moment there’s progress, the next it feels like we’re right back where we started… arguing over whether people’s pain is real, whether history matters, whether dignity should be universal or conditional.

I’ve seen hatred aimed at people who look like me.

I’ve seen it aimed at immigrants.

I’ve seen it aimed at Jews, Muslims, Christians, and people of no faith at all.

I’ve seen it aimed at people overseas who don’t share our language, culture, or politics.

And no matter where it shows up, in the U.S. or abroad – it always carries the same spirit: division.

What breaks my heart is how quickly we reduce one another to categories.

Black.

White.

Asian.

Arab.

Christian.

Muslim.

Jewish.

Foreign.

Other.

Once we stop seeing people as fully human, cruelty becomes easier. Silence becomes easier. Justifying harm becomes easier.

And if I’m honest, sometimes the hardest part isn’t the hate itself but it’s how casually it’s defended.

We excuse it as “protecting our culture.”

We call it “standing our ground.”

We disguise it as truth-telling, patriotism, or even faith.

But hate wrapped in pretty language is still hate.

I’ve traveled enough and listened enough to know this isn’t just an American issue. The world is struggling. Ethnic tensions, religious wars, and generational trauma are playing out everywhere. Across nations and cultures, people are fighting to prove they matter by denying that someone else does.

Here’s what some of you might be thinking… “I’m not political. I don’t like getting involved in that stuff… and, if we ignore it, it should go away.”

But here’s where I have to ask the uncomfortable question:

What does this have to do with those who perhaps call themselves Christians with morals as well?

Because when I read the words of Jesus and then look at how His name is sometimes used, the disconnect is impossible to ignore.

Jesus didn’t rank people by race.

He didn’t dismiss foreigners.

He didn’t fear other cultures.

He didn’t weaponize religion.

He didn’t confuse power with righteousness.

Jesus crossed lines that made religious people uncomfortable. He spoke to the Samaritan woman. He healed Roman servants. He touched the untouchable. He defended the marginalized. He loved without asking for proof that someone deserved it.

And when asked what mattered most, He didn’t say dominance.

He didn’t say being right.

He didn’t say winning arguments.

He said love. I often think about how important love is. How the world could be ideal with it. How it would be unsound without it. Close your eyes and just think about the importance of love and why Jesus said it there was no commandment greater than to love the Lord your God first and love your neighbors as yourself, secondly.

Again….

Love God.

Love your neighbor.

Love even your enemy.

Not the easy neighbor.

Not the one who agrees with you.

Not the one who looks like you or worships like you.

Your neighbor. Period.

I know loving like that isn’t easy. Especially when wounds are deep. Especially when injustice is real. Especially when anger feels justified.

But Jesus never promised easy. He promised truth. And the truth is this: hate will never heal what hate has broken.

So, when I look at America and at the rising racial tension, the fear, the suspicion, the constant pulling apart – I don’t just feel sadness, but I also feel a responsibility.

A responsibility to choose grace when bitterness feels natural.

To listen when shutting down would be easier.

To remember that faith without love is just noise.

I will try my best not to let the hatred around me get the best of me. My actions and how I respond to people, will reflect my spirit. I will choose humanity over hatred, compassion over fear, and Jesus’ teachings: not the edited version, not the politicized version, but the real one.

Because if we claim His name, our lives should reflect His heart.

And His heart has always made room for everyone.

Here is my Prayer for Healing:

Heavenly Father,

Our hearts are heavy as we look at our nation and our world.

We see anger where there should be understanding.

We see fear where there should be compassion.

We see division where there should be love.

Heal America, Lord.

Heal the wounds caused by racism, hatred, and injustice, both the ones we talk about and the ones we avoid.

Soften hearts that have grown hard.

Open eyes that refuse to see pain.

Humble those of us who speak Your name but fail to reflect Your love.

Teach us how to listen instead of react.

Teach us how to love instead of label.

Teach us how to be peacemakers in a world addicted to conflict.

Help us remember that every person is made in Your image.

Help us choose grace when hate feels louder.

And help Your church be known not for what it stands against, but for how deeply it loves.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.