What Drives Out Fear

I have been thinking about the notion of perfect love as being without fear, and what that means for us in a world that's becoming increasingly xenophobic, tortured by fundamentalism and nationalism. - bell hooks

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. We love because he first loved us. - 1 John 4:18-19

What makes it so hard for us to join Jesus in the margins, to walk with him in the wild border places with people who are different, often very different from us?  What are we afraid of? What are we pushing away as we draw instead toward power and comfort?

Would you take a few moments to sit quietly with Jesus this morning and meditate on these things?  Perhaps set a timer for 3-5 minutes, and focus on a simple breath prayer with two words, fear and love - slowly breathing out all your fears and then inhaling deeply all the love God has for you and all God’s children.  Allow Jesus to fill you with strong, bold love.