I’ve spent the last month in Rwanda. It’s probably one of the most beautiful countries I’ve visited. They call it the Land of 1000 Hills, and there’s a ton of laws to protect its physical beauty. But Rwanda has a past of violence and fear. It was here in 1994 that a massive genocide occurred, wiping out roughly a million men, women and children in 100 days. While the country has gotten back on track, the genocide has clearly marred its present. Missing limbs, machete scars across the face and head, and limps are common. These ever present reminders make the past impossible to forget. The Rwandan genocide was unique in that neighbor killed neighbor. This wasn’t a turn-the-other-way, pretend-to-ignore kind of thing. One day someone was having dinner with you and playing with your kids, the next they were literally murdering your wife. At the Memorial Museum in Kigali and in meeting several survivors this month, I’ve heard plenty of such stories. And it made me think. What would possibly make someone hate like that?
The 1994 genocide was the culmination of longstanding tensions between the Tutsi and Hutu groups. The tensions and occasional uprisings of over 50 years created the Hutu Power ideology, whose basic principle was that the Tutsi intended to enslave the Hutu, and therefore they should be resisted at all costs.
In other words, fear.
Also this month, I’ve been experiencing my own encounter with hatred, albeit on a significantly smaller scale. About a year and a half ago, I was in Pattaya, Thailand. It was there that I saw firsthand the effects of the sex trade. I blogged about what I saw and how my heart broke for all those involved, including and especially for the men who were buying these women. I saw it. I blogged about it. And I didn’t really think about that blog again until last week. When somehow my blog got posted on a pro-sextourism forum, and I started to get a lot of attention for what I was saying. In response to my words, many people were leaving comments that were crude, inappropriate and just downright evil in many cases. They included several outright threats to my safety. And it made me think. What would possibly make someone hate like that?
The answer, once again, is fear. Fear that their way of life could end, or maybe even a fear that I’m right. Because even though these two events are on opposite sides of the spectrum and I am not equating my issue with murder in any way, they come out of the same thing. Fear is the opposite of love (1 John 4) and always leads to hate. It is what makes people threaten blog writers and- at a much larger scale- can even lead to genocide.
At the end of the day, these are the only two kingdoms- fear and love. Eve is afraid God is holding out on her in Eden, and mankind falls. The Pharisees are afraid of losing their power, and Jesus is killed. The rich man is afraid to give up his riches (Luke 18) and doesn’t get to Heaven. They all choose fear. On the other side, a group of fisherman give up their livelihood to follow some Rabbi who claims to be the Messaiah. Mary decides to be the mother of God even though I’m sure it gets her into a host of trouble within her community. Apostle after apostle dies a horrible death, refusing to turn their back on Jesus- the One they love. They risk everything for love.
When Jesus was dying on the cross, He was making a choice to love us. He was saying, “Yeah, I know you’re gonna hate Me and reject Me and break My heart, but I’m still gonna love you.” And He was saying, “Yeah, I know you’re gonna hate Me and reject Me and break My heart, but I’m still gonna entrust you with My heart.” God chose to make Himself that vulnerable for us. To love and trust us with His heart, knowing we would fear the change He asked of us and hate Him. But He’s our example.
Love is the only answer. Love conquers all. It never fails. It never ends. It’s the most powerful weapon there ever is and ever will be. Love wins. God wins. So I choose love. I choose that sword and that Kingdom.
And I hope you do too.
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