Taking a stand for something

My favorite superhero has always been Superman. From his earliest inception, he was branded as standing for "truth, justice, and the American way."

You know, we need more people like Superman. People willing to take a stand when others shrink back in fear. People that will take a stand on sound, moral convictions in a society where everything is relative. The world claims there are no absolutes. God says that everything must be measured against His holiness and His Word.

Taking a stand when no one else will can be difficult. It's easier to just keep your mouth shut, roll over, and pretend that everything is OK. Being rich in Christ demands conviction and a response.

In the book 9 Things You Simply Must Do by Dr. Henry Cloud, one of the 9 things that Dr. Cloud believes that we should do is Principle #6: Hate Well. He explains what he means by hating well in this way:

Whether you are going to hate is not an option. You have been created in the image of God to stand up for life and stand against the things that destroy life. So when hurtful things happen, you are going to have a response. It is hardwired into you. Things that you do not like are going to happen, and you are going to experience negative feelings. The question is this: will that response be constructive or destructive?

You can respond in subjective, immature ways and destroy relationships, your career, and people you care about; or you can avoid responding at all and get yourself destroyed in the process, along with your talents, health, and many other things you value.

There is another way, the sixth of the Nine Things you simply must do. You can learn the way of deja vu people, the pattern of hating well. That means that you will be one of those people who objectively choose what they will hate, and you will objectively decide how you will deal with those things when they present themselves. In the process, you will preserve most of the good things in your life, eliminate most of the destructive things, and experience much more success in both love and life.

There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers (Proverbs 6:16-19, NIV).

So, where do you need to take a stand, today? In order to be successful, can you learn to "hate well" in order to preserve the good and repel the destructive?