There was no fear in Eden. Humans lived among the wildlife and no one was afraid. Man and woman lived naked together and there was no shame, no fear of acceptance. The concept of fear did not exist, everything was good. And in the midst of this environment God walked with man.
Fast forward to today. Fear is rampant. Animals flee in terror from humans, and humans in turn show both caution and fear to the beasts of the field. Nakedness now comes in flavors of brazenness and embarrassment. There is fear of acceptance. In fact fear of acceptance leads some to hide away lest anyone should see and still others to give away what they rightfully own to those undeserving to receive it. We fear a lack of money, a lack of food and worry over being able to afford shelter. Fear is the great evil. It paralyzes and it cheats us of our dreams. Fear permeates the darkness and covers the light. We are indeed a people infected by the curse of fear.
We weren’t created this way. We weren’t created to deal with these feelings. We were created to wonder and awe and to love all that surrounds us. We have been robbed. We have been cheated of the life we were meant to live, of the life we so deeply desire to live. But there is hope… love conquers fear. Love is not only the great equalizer, it is the greatest conqueror.
Jesus came into a fearful world and set us free from the curse. He offers each of us absolute freedom from the poison of fear. The antidote is love and this love bleeds from our Savior. He poured out his love on Calvary and we need only bow at the foot of that cross to be drenched in His love. When we love, we cannot fear. Love casts out fear as surely as Christ cast out demons. Love conquers fear every time.
Of what are you fearful? Do you fear losing your job, your spouse, your children or your sense of security? I submit that when we fear we expose the fact that we do not have enough love in our lives. The love I speak of is love we give. As followers of Christ, we all have been given more love than we could ever need. This is the very reason we are to give some away. In Christ we have an endless supply so we can never give too much love away. When we allow fear to reside within us, we are squeezing out the places reserved for love. Fear proves we are inward focused, we are selfish. Start giving love away. Instead of worrying about your own job, see if you can help someone who has already lost theirs. Instead of fearing for your security, reach out and comfort someone else. Remember, love trumps fear every time. We are given a Spirit of love, not of fear. We were created to love, not fear. Start living as the person you were created to be.