Walking Towards Love

 

I’m walking towards love!  Every time I encounter fear, I’m making a conscience choice to turn away and move towards love.  There is no fear in love!  1John 4:18 says this: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” 

When I experience fear, however big or small, I am taking it as an invitation to pursue love more.  Recognize the fear, turn away from it and turn towards love and run, run hard!

Stress – often stress is covering fear.  I may be afraid of not having enough time, money, creativity or influence.  Stress is the response.  I am afraid it may get worse, afraid I won’t have enough, be enough, know enough.  Fear!  But love says there is always hope.  Love says that I have access to greater strength, wisdom and resources.  Love speaks hope; it may get better!  Love knows that God’s plans for me are good!  His heart is for me to have a future full of hope. Love trusts that God will provide all of what I need.

Anxiety – this too is most often a response to hidden fear.  I am anxious about how a conflict will be resolved, about a relationship or a crisis.  Anxious about a medical problem, a problem with no solution or a set of circumstances that seem to get worse.  Fear entices me to consider all the ways I am inadequate; this feeds my rising anxiety even more.  Love says there IS an answer!  Love says that I will be ok, that whatever happens, I will find a way.  Love says that I am not alone and already I feel stronger!  Love reminds me that I have overcome many hardships and disappointments, that I am growing and learning.  Love reassures me I am equipped, not helpless.  Love invites me to find and celebrate the progress and doing so builds momentum.

I find that I encounter invitations to become fearful all the time!  Someone I love receives a negative prognosis from the doctor or the condition we’ve been praying for and receiving treatment for is not improving.  I can choose to be fearful.  It is so easy! So natural and understandable!  But fear accomplishes nothing good in me; instead, it slowly eats away at places where I am encouraged or hopeful.  Fear is a greedy beast! I find that fear is not a respecter of boundaries.  I start off just a little fearful of one thing and soon that fear has spread like wildfire and I am stressed and anxious about many things.

It is hard to talk yourself out of fear, so instead I think of it as a fork in the road.  The option is there, I can turn that way or chose not to.  And even more powerful than the choice to not turn towards fear, is the choice to turn towards LOVE.  When you acknowledge the option to be fearful, you invite compassion for yourself.  That alone is a powerful thing: “I am tempted to be fearful.”  Then you can recognize the threat, the thing that so deeply concerns you.  Once recognized, you then remember that in God there is a love that is perfect and powerful against fear.  The love God has for you is so pure that there is no room for fear in it!  Love is a powerful force; it grows and increases, and chases all the fear away.  1John 4:18 says “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”   In perfect love there is no intent to harm or punish, there is no evil intention.  Love is not interested in weaknesses or faults; it is not looking for places to exploit or gain an advantage.  Love is full of hope and promise.  The more we are filled with love, the less we are given to fear.  The answer to stress, anxiety and all types of fear is love.  The more we receive love and love others, the less room we have to harbor fear. 

The option to be fearful will always be there, but so will love!  When you choose to pursue love, it is an ever-increasing journey into hope and life.  Love is a choice that creates potential and momentum for greater things.  Love will fill you past just what you were afraid of and move you into the richness of what God has for you.  The closing words of 1John 4:18 hint at a profound truth; we can be perfected in love!  The pursuit of God and His love for us is transforming us from the inside out, it is perfecting us in love.  And that process eradicates fear.  We are growing stronger and stronger in love!