A Thin Line?

Is it really a thin line between love and hate? If you're like me, your first thought might be the soulful 1970s ballad by The Persuaders—later covered by Annie Lennox—about what happens when that line gets crossed. Love and hate are both powerful emotions and the switch between them can flip faster than we’d expect. But Scripture paints a different ideal in Psalm 103: “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Isn’t this the kind of person you want to be around—and aspire to be?

The truth is, for some of us, anger feels pretty good. It’s familiar. Comfortable, even. If you don’t know what I mean, count that as a blessing. Anger is impulsive and reactive— rarely measured or contemplative. Peace between people rests on quieter virtues- understanding, empathy, kindness, and forgiveness. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud... It is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Not easily angered, Paul writes. Maybe managing our anger is a form of love. I think this is what Jesus is getting at in one of His most familiar teachings from Matthew 5: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also.” He’s not asking us to accept abuse or injustice. I read it as a call to resist the instinct to strike back. Turning the other cheek isn’t passive- it’s a bold and courageous attempt to seek peace, if peace is possible. "Blessed are the peacemakers," Jesus says in Matthew 5, “for they will be called children of God.”

Two more of Jesus’ foundational teachings are, because we are forgiven, we are called to forgive. And because we are all children of God, we should care for one another like brothers and sisters. And here's the deeper truth at the heart of this wisdom: tolerance, understanding, and patience—not counterpunching—are the most effective and enduring self-defense strategies we have for defusing hostility and mending fences. Try it and see.

The world is not peaceful. On a trip to Ireland last year, we saw how resentment toward the British Empire still echoes in everyday conversation, even though open hostilities have ended. You hear similar tensions in Turkey toward Greece, and in Greece toward Turkey. Old grudges linger. The same is true here at home. We’re not free from a painful past or a divided present. There’s a rising intolerance toward “the other”—those who are different by choice, by birth, or by place of origin.

This isn't new. It’s been part of our American story all along. There have always been outcasts, with the most recent arrivals starting at the bottom of the heap. They take the scraps and help build the America that we enjoy. Today’s immigrants risk everything for the same reasons our ancestors did: a better life, a glimpse of hope, the dream of freedom. I know these issues are complex but as people of light, we are called to remember that no one is disposable or insignificant. Everyone matters.

Once again, we turn to Scripture for guidance on how to live—and how not to. This is 1 John 2: “If anyone claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister, they are still in the darkness.” The line may be thin but our call is clear. The song pairing is “Trip to New York City.” Until next time, stay safe, be brave, and keep walking in the light.

Trip to New York City
Took a trip up to New York City
where my people were welcomed
out ‘neath the Statue of Liberty
shining in the sun

I strolled along the Hudson
found my name etched in the wall
I traced his steps out on Ellis island
where my grandfather risked it all

So sprinkle some salt for flavor
shine some light for love
smile on your neighbor
look to the heavens above

at home the rains fell steady
neighbor’s hillside’s giving way
I’m shoulder to shoulder and ready
pass the sandbags down this way

I pick up the daily paper
I go online
you got your opinion neighbor
and I got mine

So sprinkle some salt for flavor
shine some light for love
smile on your neighbor
look to the heavens above

So I turn on the TV
scratch my head, circle back
the spin is getting thin my friend
or maybe they’re just alternative facts

It’s like a carnival mirror
when you look away
the distortion’s getting nearer
but the truth’s always clear as day

So sprinkle some salt for flavor
shine some light for love
smile on your neighbor
look to the heavens above