It is hard for many to understand but we do choose to hate or not to; to judge or not to. It is just that hating and judging come so easy, they are instinctive. As a Christian (and I would say for any who seek to become more loving and human) we are free to develop the greatest of all the spiritual gifts, which is of course love. For many this seems impractical, yet to love and to learn not to judge takes away a great deal of inner suffering, anger and rage. When grace expands the heart, cycles of suffering can be lessened and over time they can be eliminated. Though in life there is always suffering of some sort. To learn to love others, even ones enemies and to grow in compassion for them, leads to its own brand of suffering. Like the suffering of Christ Jesus, who loves all and suffers for all.

It is a difficult journey to grow in becoming a conduit for God’s grace and love, but all any of us can do is to simply be open and grace will do its work. Our emotional responses to others will most likely always be there, they need not dictate to us how we actually relate to others. Each human being is made in the image and likeness of God, when that is forgotten we can get hell on earth.