“The opposite of love is not hate; it’s indifference.”
~Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel makes a very useful point here for Christians. With the demands of work and family, traits like apathy and indifference have become far too common among Christians in recent years. We come to act as if we simply don’t have time to care for others. Yet, Jesus teaches us to “love one another” (John 13:34, ESV).
The Word also teaches us to be vigilant and caring in our day-to-day life, not apathetic and indifferent. Ephesians 4:1-3 challenges us to “walk in a manner worthy” of our “calling…bearing with one another in love,” which takes, among other things, real effort.
God’s grace is real, and we rely on it; we also make an effort to love and care for others.
Wiesel makes a fascinating point by saying “the opposite of love is not hate; it’s indifference.” Of course, from a logical point of view, this is not true. Still, we should recognize his wisdom here. Indifference and apathy do, in a practical sense, oppose the daily practice of love.
3 Comments
Ruthann Barton
Thank you for this message. It does help us to remember that Jesus says we should love one another.
Andrew Yuan
Thank you for the post. It is really inspiring.
John W. Gray
I do like the quote and it is true, especially these days. I see it all the time and it’s growing. But what you pointed is so very true. For some reason it brings to mind 1 Corinthians 13. A chapter that taught me so very much above love, what it is and what it is not.
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