Today’s Reading : I John 4:8
Fear. It is one of the oldest emotions that we have. Fear is the absence of knowledge or a state of ignorance and the unknown. Fear leads to confusion. Fear leads to anxiety. Fear leads to isolation. Fear leads to mistrust. Fear leads to desperation. Fear is a basic emotion, but it has to be taught. The beginning of fear can be trace back to the beginning of existence in the garden.
Genesis 3: 7- 10
Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool[c] of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LordGod among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”[d] 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
Fear was created during the separation of us from God. Fear allowed our minds to search and create abstract meanings for the unknown. It replaced the knowledge and peace that God had given us during creation. It replaced our connection with God.
But there is a remedy for Fear, and it is Love. Love was the creating force that God used to create us in His image. Love was and is in the fundamental foundation of everyone. It is something that cannot be erased or changed.
If we reflect on Love, it is the first emotion that many of us feel at our birth. When we enter into this world we are surrounded by love and caring. It is the sense of belonging and the knowledge that we will be safe. This innocence is truly a gift that if nurtured will blossom into excellence. Unfortunately, life will introduce fear that can be both useful and detrimental. Fear can be useful to give children caution from harming themselves or others. But if the fear is not tampered with love and caring, it will create destructive and more harmful repercussions.
I John 4: 7-12
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
The love that God has for us is unconditional and never-ending. This is a hard concept for us to comprehend because the only love that we can tangibly witness is that from each other. No matter how hard we attempt to give the best love to each other, we will fail every time. It is only when we can become aligned with God that we are able to love more and without reciprocations. Loving each other is something that we have to be intentional and consistent. This has to be done on a daily basis as explained by David in
Psalms 51: 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right[b] spirit within me.
One of the best examples of how Love can cancel out fear is found in our interactions with our children. On many nights since the kids were babies, there is at least one night per week that the kids will wake in the middle of the night and come to our room. The child will tell me that something is in the room or they heard something. I will take them in my arms or by the hand and take them back to bed. Then I will ask them what is the thing that has cause them to be afraid. The will tell me and I will acknowledge their fear and then I will search for the offending agent. Sometimes it is a toy that has been left on and is making a sound. Sometimes it is clothes or an object that is on the dresser that cast a shadow on the wall. Sometimes it is a tree scraping the window or outside wall. No matter what it is I will comfort them and then let show them what it is that cause this increase anxiety. They will then proceed to return to rest and fall asleep.
This is how God works with us when we are aligned with him. This alignment comes from regular communication with Him and acknowledging his presence in our lives and purpose for our lives. One of the main weapons that the Adversary has is Fear. Then the adversary wants us to attempt to banish fear and not acknowledge it. But when we attempt to diminish the true effects that fear has on us, it actually grows when left unchecked. When fear remains uncontrolled or hidden, when it is revealed it can be unrelenting and completely detrimental.
- We have to allow God to Love us and then we have to Love ourselves.
- We have to allow God to be our Father and comfort us in the midst of the Fear.
- We have to allow Him to reveal with Love the uncertainty and unknown that Fear attempts to give.
- Once the Fear is acknowledged and shown for its true nature, we have to rely on God to keep us safe and know that we are Loved.
May God give us Love. May we Love ourselves. May we show Love to each other. The only thing that conquers Fear is Love. Be Blessed.