Life comes down to a decision that each of us must make. We can choose the path of love or the path of fear. Each of us makes this choice every day, on the freeway, on the job, and in our home, we choose.
Do not tell me God doesn’t exist, because he alone gives us the grace and the power when we choose love. As imperfect sinners, we do not in ourselves possess the power to love, to overcome our selfishness and pride. Only the grace of a loving God working through us can allow us to transcend our prisons of flesh. I have come to believe that God’s greatest joy is to have us choose love. When we choose the path of love, we can live with ourselves, we can sleep at night, and we don’t need to defend ourselves.
Fear rules this world. It is our overlord, our unseen controller. Worldly power runs on the spirit of fear. It is the favorite weapon of fearful beings; they must pass it on lest they lose their power.
Do not tell me the devil isn’t real, because our world is his opus of fear. His message is that others are after us, and we must defend ourselves. In our nation of prosperity, he tells us we don’t have enough; we need to acquire more, and must protect ourselves from the future. These fears turn men into hardened fortresses, blind to legitimate human suffering all around us.
Jesus told his followers to not be afraid, but rather to believe. Believe in what? Believe that there is a loving father who counts every hair on our heads. Believe that he can transform our hearts and illuminate our minds. Believe that love is always the right choice, even when fear tugs at every fiber of our being, and seems like the only option. Without belief, fear is our sole alternative. So believe, and fear not.
Fear not those who would have us believe that we must choose between security and freedom. Both are God’s gifts, freely bestowed when we choose to believe and love. Fear not those who would have us believe we must hoard our money and our goods. God’s gifts freely given produce boundless riches. Fear not those who would divide us with hateful religion and hateful ideologies. God knows what is in our hearts, and loves us anyway. Fear not those who would have us place blind faith in our man made governments; God is the lord over all men. And fear not those who would have us believe that our worth is determined by our net worth. Love allows each of us to live with the dignity with which God chooses to imbue every man and woman.
So as we read the news of the day, complete with evil conspiracies, wars and rumors of wars, remember that we have the power to choose. We can surrender to fear or we can surrender to our loving father. These options are mutually exclusive. We cannot follow the will of God if we choose the way of fear, selfishness, and greed. But if we choose to believe in his love and mercy, then fear melts away. Jesus gave us his commandment: “Love one another.” Love truly opens the door to a land beyond fear.
“Published originally at EtherZone.com : republication allowed with this notice and hyperlink intact.”