There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear.
1 John 4:18 (CSB)
In human relationships, love is never perfect. There are no perfect marriages. No perfect parents. No perfect children. No perfect friendships. But anyone who has ever seen someone sacrifice greatly for their spouse, risk their life to save their child, give up their lunch so that someone else doesn’t go hungry, or hold their friend’s hand while chemo drugs pour through veins—yeah, they have seen a little bit of the perfect love of God. Sometimes our fears seem bigger than anything else in our lives. Bigger than our relationships, bigger than our hopes, and bigger than our dreams. But we were never created to live in fear. We were created to live in love! And in that love, there is perfection, because that love is the very heart of Jesus.
Jesus modeled true love perfectly. He came down as a human. He experienced hunger, temptation, and loss. He fought the enemy with truth, the haters with love. When He was tempted, He chose obedience. When He was rejected, He chose grace. When He was beaten and mocked, He chose surrender. When He was betrayed and hung on a criminal’s cross, He chose forgiveness. He showed us the love of a servant and the beauty of sacrifice. He showed us that love is infinitely bigger and more powerful than fear. His fear of the cross was nothing compared to His love for His Father and for all of humanity. Because perfect love drives out fear.
Jesus chose nails over comfort and love over fear, and He will always carry you through the very things you dread and all the things you are convinced you cannot endure. If you focus on your fears, they will grow. But when you focus on the One who is Love Himself, love grows! The kind of love that knocks fear to the ground, the kind of love that wins every time. When love wins, fear loses. And when you truly understand that the love of Jesus is perfect, permanent, powerful, peaceful, persevering, and protective, there is absolutely no room for panic. No room for fear. Perhaps God is calling you to step out of your comfort zone and follow His example. He’s calling you to courage. Courage is NOT the absence of fear. Courage is simply trusting God enough to see the fear, face it head on, and push right on through. It is picking up your love, your obedience, and your determination and going full speed ahead—racing heart, sweaty palms and all. It is so worth it, because just on the other side of that fear is where you will find freedom! And love always wins! You are loved!