God is Love and according to John, if there is no love in us then it means God is not in us or at least we are not in Him. If then God is Love, which I believe, then the attributes of God must be seen in our own lives.
The key attribute of God has to be His unconditional love for all of His creation. This includes those whom we perhaps dislike or even hate for one reason or another. Of cause your saying if there is hate in our lives then we are not in God's love and this I also believe to be true according to scripture. Yet we also know that as Christians (followers/disciples of Christ) that even we can be subject to hurt and pain which can result in all sorts or contrary feelings towards those who hurt us.
Paul the apostles encourages us to pray for those who hurt us. Easier said than done, yet as we do this I can say first hand that it can have a profound change in hearts and on our lives. Jesus on the cross prayed for those who crucified him but the reason we often forget to mention, that is "because they know not what they do". All of us are at times subject to influence which cause us to say and do things which we regret or know is wrong. Recently my own frustration and pain caused me to respond angrily towards the most precious person I have ever had in my life, namely my wife. Did I mean the things I said? No certainly not but I said then all the same and then paid the price for my wrong doing.
Whilst in this example I was the one which did wrong, I myself have been subjected to much wrong doing throughout my life. My reaction to this has not always been exemplary but I am learning to respond as Christ did and as God desires us all to do, with His unconditional love. My prayer each day now is "Father, help me to respond to everyone and every circumstance with your kind of love". This is not easy to do as it requires each and every day, perhaps every moment, that I yield and subject my will into the hands of my heavenly Father.
I call this being a conduit of love, that is transporters, vessels, rivers of which God's love can flow to others. This has been most obvious in the work environment I find myself at the moment. Working with boys in detention and who possess some of the most aggressive behaviour, there is a continual need for me to see these boys not based on their behaviour but how God sees them, as His creation and beloved!
Whether we are children of God or God haters, one thing is certain God loves us all equally...
God Bless you
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