It’s not hard to recognize the hate and evil that flood the world we live in. Turn on the news, read a newspaper, or flip on the radio. It won’t take long before you find yourself questioning humanity, or the lack thereof. Innocent people are being blown up at concerts. Guiltless teenagers are being shot because of their skin color. Murders are being committed because of religion. Pain, loss, tragedy, and evil are becoming the headlines of our daily lives.

I often feel as though I have no power to fight the hate this planet is facing. Such soul-wrenching destruction seems much too vast to get a grasp on. As much as I desperately wish I could, I can’t stop a terrorist from strapping a bomb to their chest and walking into a crowd. I can’t predict when someone will step into a room and begin shooting at innocent souls. I can’t eliminate all racism in this world and magically eradicate all prejudice. I don’t have the ability to control the hate in this world, but I do have the ability to control the hate in my life. Waking up and choosing to treat others with love, kindness, grace, and compassion is something that will continually be in our control.

It’s time to take a stand. It’s time to stop setting streets on fire to fight hate. It’s time to stop yelling, cursing, and demeaning one another to get our point across. If we continue to try and combat wickedness with malice acts, slowly we will forget what it is we are fighting for in the first place. We have a choice, and I urge you to choose love.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Wake up in the morning and love your family. Pray for the people who have hurt you. Be kind to the waiter even when they get your order wrong. When someone slaps you in the face, turn the other cheek. Serve without any expectation of receiving something in return. Smile at a stranger. Forgive someone you never thought you could. Let that person go ahead of you in the grocery line. Pay for the meal of the car behind you. We cannot change the world with hate, but we can change the lives around us with love. Fill others to the brim with love, kindness, grace, and compassion and watch as we choose to change the headlines from evil to hopeful.