“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18I’m sorry I’ve been so neglectful of you my readers, but I have been preparing for a retreat for which I’m speaking. My heart has been fully occupied with sitting with the Lord while listening, praying, and gaining some understanding of what it means to love others and still I am exploring this topic. I’ll share with you some of what I’m uncovering.
I’ve always loved the Scripture I’ve chosen to share today because fear has been a companion throughout my life. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of being “less-than”, just to name a few, have accompanied me on this life’s journey. And yet I remember reading this Scripture years ago and wondering how I would ever find the understanding and ability to believe it.
Finally, it hit me: “fear has to do with punishment.” In other words, in my experience, punishment equals pain. Failure is painful. Rejection is painful. Insecurity is painful. And I will do just about anything to avoid pain.
And I bet you do to.
So how do I go about reframing failure, rejection and insecurity so that those emotions are not associated with just pain? How about considering these painful emotions as an opportunity for growth?
It has only been through my fear of failure that I learned wisdom in making wiser choices!
It has been through my fear of rejection that I have learned to receive the love of my precious Savior because He will never reject me!
It has been through my insecurity that I have learned a dependence on the living God and the assurance that He will sustain me through any and every circumstance!
I’m still learning about His perfect love and while I’m on this side of heaven, I’ll continue to learn. But the journey has become far less fearful as I abide and rest in Jesus.
PS: If you are interested in attending the retreat to which I referred please Face Book “Women 2 Women” for details. Thank you.
