Question:
Hello,
I had a question for you about hate. I know we aren’t supposed to hate our own lives, but I had dropped a box that had food in it, and I said “I hate my life” out of frustration. I broke my wrist earlier and I was trying to help carry things into my house, so that led to me dropping the box.
What are your thoughts? I didn’t know if saying something like this really showed hatred toward myself.
Thank you.
Answer:
That sounds more like a poorly worded statement said out of frustration with the immediate situation. I’m sorry about your broken wrist. I hope it heals quickly.
What the Scriptures actually state is “for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it” (Ephesians 5:29). By this, Paul is pointing out that everyone takes care of themselves at some level. We eat, bathe, etc. When a person doesn’t take care of himself, then it is a strong signal that something is seriously wrong in his thoughts. You are taking care of yourself. It is one of the reasons you didn’t like hurting your foot.
Another passage states, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). Here the point is one of priority. Serving Christ comes first to a Christian, so much so that other relationships and even our own lives are not nearly as important. It doesn’t mean we literally hate our parents or ourselves. It is just that the difference between our love for Christ and our love for others, it seems that we hate others. As an example, when Paul was told that he would be arrested and beaten in Jerusalem, his response was: “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).