The opposite of love is not hate... It's indifference

There is a word that has become soiled more than any other as of late:  tolerance.  It's been elevated to mean something like love ... certainly not like hate. But this comes from a wild misunderstanding of what love actually is and - more importantly - what it's opposite is. 

Jesus used parables and anecdotes for a reason, so allow me to use one here:  A man is considering a divorce.  His friends continue to say, "Hmm, well that's too bad. Well, I'm sure you have your reasons."  They were all quite tolerant of his decision.  They did not want to be "hateful" to him, so they asked and said little more. But one day he went to lunch with a man of God. That man said, "you're being an idiot."  He continued, "you've contacted with God to love her and serve her NO MATTER WHAT."

The man considering the divorce was angry with his bold, godly friend ... for a time.  But he looked into it and realized it was HIS actions causing the issues in the marriage, not hers.

Who was loving? The friends who were tolerant of his decision?  Or the one who spoke truth, despite the potential for backlash?

The opposite of love is not hate ... it's indifference.

Here's the deal:  The man in the anecdote considering a divorce was me.  And I'm so grateful for the love my friend showed me through taking a risky step to tell me the truth.  He tipped over the first domino toward saving my marriage. 

Through doing something our culture considers "intolerant", my friend changed the trajectory of my marriage.  And my wife and I are stronger in our marriage today than on the day we said our vows.

Thank you, my friend, for your loving action ... in not being tolerant of my actions.