Tuesday 28 April 2009

Today will be the last Day on M.L. King's reflections on love mastering fear.

This truth is not without bearing on our personal anxieties. We are afraid of the superiority of other people, of failure, and the scorn or disapproval of those whose opinions we most value. Envy, jealousy, a lack of self-confidence, a feeling of insecurity, and a haunting sense of inferiority are all rooted in fear. We do not envy people and then fear them; first we fear them and subsequently we become jealous of them. Is there a cure for these annoying fears that pervert our personal lives? Yes, a deep and abiding commitment to the way of love. "Perfect love casteth out fear."
Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear; only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

Often I like to spell disease as "dis-ease." I think it shows how our lives can be a bit off...we can lose our sense of ease with ourselves or with others. The dis-ease of fear set us at odds with everything around us. In many ways, this dis-ease is often the reason for somehow wanting to gain control of our world so that it looks and responds and acts just as we would want. There are so many ways that we fall into the dis-ease of fear. So many things that move by us through the day become obstacles that we convince ourselves are things that must be conquered or defeated because they are not under our control. Too soon, we begin to fear those about whom we have heard things that are not like us. Quickly this dis-ease settles in. I'm often amazed at how often a stereotype is accepted rather than questioned. It is as though we are more able to settle into dis-ease than we are able to settle into a position of health and wellness in our relationships.

Connection: "Hatred confuses life." What a wonderful notion to remember. What a important word of clarification as we begin to set out into the various situations in which we will enter today.

As always, O God, your love is the power that makes all people settle down and live within a sense of shalom - an ease that frees us from fear. Before we act out of fear and anxiety, remind us again of your love and the power that is handed to us when we walk within your Reign. Amen.