Mastering fear through love continues to be another way that we are invited to live in our broken world - from "The Strength to Love" by M.L. King, Jr.
What method has the sophisticated ingenuity of modern man employed to deal with the fear of war? We have armed ourselves to the nth degree. The West and the East have engaged in a fever-pitched arms race. Expenditures for defense have risen to mountainous proportions, and weapons of destruction have been assigned priority over all other human endeavors. The nations have believed that greater armaments will cast our fear. But alas! they have produced greater fear. In these turbulent, panic-stricken days we are once more reminded of the judicious words of old, "Perfect love casteth out fear." Not arms, but love, understanding, and organized goodwill can cast out fear. Only disarmament, based on good faith, will make mutual trust a living reality.
King was writing in a day of great nuclear threat. The arms race was so fear-based we actually believed that this was a way of peace - since there was no war. But we were still living in fear and spending money as though our fear was the motivating power of our lives. With all the money both sides were spending, we could have fed the world and created something that is truly unbelievable. But - fear wins out....still does. Mutual trust seems like some "pie in the sky" notion. But have we ever allowed ourselves to go there?!? Our fear has caused us to build up gods that we have allowed to claim our lives. I remember hearing a speaker in the late 1970s talk about how our nuclear weapon arsenals have been like false gods. The are false gods because they demand our complete devotion - we are willing to sacrifice economic stability, care of the poor, medical care for all people....in order to sustain what we have let rule us - that is the sign of a false god.
Connection: Being realistic doesn't mean we must keep preparing for war. Being realistic may be that we look to new ways to create something that has not been our way and may bring life we really need not fear.
Prince of Peace, you are the one who leads us through all time. You promise to be our ground and our foundation so that we need not let our fears rule our hearts. Make us instruments of your peace and witnesses of your love. Amen.
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