"Do not live in fear, little flock. It has pleased your Creator to give you the Kingdom." - Luke 12:32
Fear is there to be had. What keeps you from succumbing to it? You hear it everywhere you turn. "Fear others of a different race. Fear those of another faith. Fear those who don’t believe the same things you do.” But you are not afraid. What do you know? Did you believe Scripture when it told you that faith, hope, and love abide: that the greatest of these is love? Did you remember that once you were a stranger and were welcomed? Did you remember Jesus said that the love of neighbor was the greatest commandment? Or did you simply accept that nothing in this world can separate you from the love of God; and that the God who fashioned you, called you by name, and abides with you in the shadowed valleys has given you the Kingdom? If you know that, you know enough. Faith instills within you an abiding orientation to faith, hope, and love. In such a soul, fear cannot abide. I see the wisdom in a teacher who says simply: "Do not be afraid." Yes, the lilies of the field will be adorned and the birds of the air will eat. And how much more does your Creator love you? You will be well. And so you do not succumb. You do not fear. You simply love. And that—well, that is genius.
Prayer: Jesus, can you teach me to love like that, with a love that casts out fear? This is my humble prayer. May it be so. Amen
