"And thus they have taught their children that they should hate them, and that they should murder them, and that they should rob and plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; therefore they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi."
Mosiah 10:17
Reading this today, I was going to include a couple more verses discussing how the Lamanites looked at the situation and thought they had been wronged. But then I realized that in a general sense, it doesn't matter. It didn't matter all those years later when they were still teaching their children to hate, and as we're reading, it's the same. None of the reasons matter because it is just wrong to hate. If we are justifying our own hatred because of past generations, or teaching our children to hate because of some past actions, that's just wrong, no matter the reasons. Instead, we should be finding wholeness and oneness in Christ, and forgiving others as we have been forgiven.
Today, let's look for the good in the world around us, focusing on the positive things, especially in the good people around us. Unlike in fiction, it is unlikely that anyone we know is without any redeeming qualities... which doesn't of course mean that we have to stay married to them or live with them or even be friends with them. There are circumstances where God will want us to stay far away or separate ourselves, but he never wants us to hate. Let's cultivate hope and forgiveness and love today, and get help from the Lord when those things are too big for us. He will help.
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