Paul writes – Fear turns one inward, away from the “other.” Fear imprisons. Fear resists hope and life. Fear prevents us from knowing and being known deeply. Fear resists interdependency and it closes us to loving and being loved. Fear inhibits creativity and stunts growth. Fear doesn’t see opportunities. Fear risks nothing.
Love, on the other hand frees, love enlivens. Love holds the other as they are, and lets others hold us as we are. Love is vulnerable and open to others. Love says, “yes” to God’s desire to love us, and in saying “yes” we are able in turn to love God, others and ourselves.
God is love. To “image” God, we love.
Good post Paul. By strange coincidence, Foundation, the Emerging/AltWorship church for which I'm responsible here in Bristol (UK), is doing a big service this coming weekend called "FEARLOVELOVEFEAR" on a subject very close to this post, but the focus is on the role of violence in feeding and feeding on fear. The love of God shown on the cross, itself an instrument of extreme violence, draws us back from fear to love, for perfect love casts out fear.
Posted by: Paul Roberts | Friday, 08 June 2007 at 07:07 PM