Breaking Out of the Hate Cycle

Reenactment of Liberian soldiers going into battle (from movie
 "Johnny Mad Dog") Image public domain.

Recently I stumbled across a post by journalist Claire MacDougall entitled "When Liberian Child Soldiers Grow Up." In her excellent article she speaks graphically of what is a very real and ongoing problem in Liberia—a war can be over on the outside, but that doesn't mean it's over on the inside.

Although the Liberian Civil War officially ended in 2003, tens of thousands of Liberians are walking around wounded. Most of the physical wounds of the war have either healed or the victims have died. However, wounds of the inside sort remain.

Years pass one after another and, while people look composed on the outside, inside a ever-downward spiral of wrong thinking continues. Included in the wrong thinking is a spirit of bitterness. Bitterness over the thefts. Bitterness over the never-ending-running from war. Bitterness over the rapes. Bitterness over the murders. And bitterness over the inability to avenge wrongs.

While, humanly speaking, bitterness is a totally understandable reaction to wrongs committed, it, sadly, creates perpetual victims. The Bible gives a new and somewhat unexpected perspective.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.  Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 4:21-5:2

According to this passage, my bitterness is my sin. And as Christians we are to "put off" bitterness, along with its nasty bedfellows, and "put on" kindness, tenderheartedness and forgiveness. When we do, we will be imitators of God as His dear children.

But how can someone let go of bitterness when he or she has suffered so much? By trusting God to avenge.

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

God will judge the perpetrators of atrocities. Liberians can't change the past, but individually each can stop his own bitterness cycle by calling it what it is—sin. Of course this can only be done with God's grace and in His power.

Those who understand and apply it can be set free. For them, at last, the war will really be over.

See "The Devil Made Me Do It!"
See Witchcraft and the Undermining of the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ.