Troublemakers

People are a messy lot, lying when the truth would serve them better, wasting time worrying about things that may never happen, and holding grudges against people who would mend fences if they knew one needed fixing.

I was thinking, once again, of that passage in Proverbs 6:16-19:

“There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty (snobbish) eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.”

It’s like God paused for a moment and then added the one He hates the most: troublemakers. God hates the person who “stirs the pot,” who enjoys causing problems, who revels in causing conflicts in a family. God hates that person, yes, the person, not just the action. “the Lord hates…a person who sows discord in a family.”

I think that too often, we are slow to judge ourselves. Do we know which buttons to push in others? Do we push them? Do we bring the peace of Christ into every situation or do we let things smolder awhile?

There is forgiveness for ourselves and for others who repent. Every troublemaker who does not repent has God as an adversary.