thisisallison

It’s often said that human actions spring from two emotions that are on opposite ends of a  spectrum— the darker end being fear and the lighter end being love.

But what exactly is fear? 

And— Why and how is it tied to love? 

Examining fear (as an emotional response and indicator of one’s spiritual state of mind) and its impact on how we react and respond to Life is the focus of this article.

Definition

Scientifically speaking, fear is a biochemical reaction to perceived threats of danger that induce a physical “flight or fright” response. Fear of this sort is universal and has factored into our ability to survive. Fear is also an emotional response. As such, it’s a highly subjective reaction to events perceived by the individual as either positive or negative (VeryWellMind). 

I’m sure most are familiar with the phrase, “knowledge is power”. We are able to recognize this truth because collective awareness teaches us that events, ideas, and experiences that are ‘clouded in mystery’ and have yet to be realized are usually faced with negative disdain because of a lack of knowledge or fear of the unknown. Humans have proven, over and over, we fear people, things, and ideas that we haven’t experienced or considered putting effort into knowing and understanding.

Sadly, I’m led to think that most of our fearful responses and reactions to life come about primarily through a lack of knowledge in the most important area of all— our relational understanding of Divine Nature.

Connection to Love

There’s a biblical verse that comes to my mind that provides insight into the fear-love spectrum. I John 4:18 says that “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” (NLT).The one who fears has not fully experienced the unconditional love of God. In a couple verses before this one, the writer defined God as Love, and this factors big in understanding the implications of why we must strive to overcome any unhealthy fear that’s active in our lives, as a result of us not living in awareness of the truth concerning the Divine’s loving nature.

*Sidebar: There is such a thing as healthy fear, which is the deep reverential and respectful kind of fear given toward a figure deemed awe-inspiring and worthy of such respect. Interestingly enough, mature understanding of the Divine Nature will invoke this type of fear, and this is the beginning point of acquiring wisdom.*

I John 4:18 is one of my personal favorites because it sheds light on a core purpose of life and provides humanity with an invitation to embark on what I believe is the primal mission and ultimate desire of every human being— to know and experience unconditional love (the love of God) within ourselves first, share that knowing and experience with others, and then receive that love in return. One can deduce that the quality and health of one’s inner life, which is reflected in outward life, is rooted in how often someone experiences this love cycle. 

Impact on Daily Living

Our understanding of Divine Nature and to what degree we’re walking in the knowledge of God’s unconditional love will most certainly impact how we treat ourselves, treat others, and lead our lives.

There are two quotes from the incomparable Iyanla Vanzant that illustrates this point:

“Fear is the insidious belief that there is something God cannot do and does not know.” 

And…

“Love is simple. We make it hard with our trappings, expectations, and demands. We place limits, restrictions, and conditions on our loving and those we love. Love is simple. You simply give love for the sake of love, or you don’t!”

Fear, in our relation to the Divine, is an indication that we aren’t fully experiencing God as God truly is. We are operating in an incomplete knowledge or deceitful idea about God that blocks us from fully experiencing God in us at the fullest capacity in any moment. And why is that? Well, let’s sub love with God into the quote and see what happens…

“[God] is simple. We make [knowing God] hard with our trappings, expectations, and demands. We place limits, restrictions, and conditions on our [understanding of God in us and others]. [God] is simple. You simply [trust in and act from your knowledge of God in you] for the sake of [God in you], or you don’t!”

Doesn’t that rendering hit a bit differently? This is the knowledge we’re invited to contemplate and submit our thoughts and actions to daily. 

Let’s make an effort to remember we all began in Love. We began in God, who is Love. It has been our perceived separation from God, our willingness to submit to a reality that suggests we’re separated from God, that triggers our acts of fear. 

In truth, we can undergo a process of change. We can regain the knowledge of truth that there is nothing that can ultimately separate us from Love, from God. Being “perfected” spiritually doesn’t mean becoming incapable of making mistakes, it alludes to the notion of maturity. The more we accept and grow in the knowledge of the complete love of God in us and for us, the more we will be made whole, or holy. 

Knowledge of our oneness with God brings about the “beauty of holiness”. The beauty of wholeness is recognizing that God, that Life, is One. Living from this cognizance transforms us and enables us to live in and as the “unique otherliness” God is, which is what God intends for us to know our individual selves as. Perfect love fills the darkness that lies in wake of fear. And the more fear is overcome, the more hate will disappear. When hate disappears, violence leaves too. When violence leaves, all that’s left is— peace.

Being armed with the knowledge of God as unconditional Love and living from this truth is so powerful because it’s possible for us to transfigure the imagery of our world(s) from hellish torment into heavenly bliss, at any given moment! And I truly believe that Jesus had this in mind when He outlined the “Lord’s Prayer”. This is how Christ, the God-mind’s plan— that everything done in Earth be reflective of what already is in Heaven— is fulfilled.