Fear and Love

Fear.  An ailment that seems to be very commonly found in the minds and hearts of us humans.  There is fear in our future and fear in our present.  There is fear for our children and spouses.  There is fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of opinions. There is fear of that fallen angel and the power he boasts of.  We fear the thief.. the valleys.. the hard.  And we fear that end called death.
It can be very real.  It has many captives. Holding them tight… just enough air to breathe but not enough to thrive. 
For her it is real. She lives in a place where one is raised always being told “be strong.” ..a place where you pick yourself up when you fall down. ..Where though there is weakness, it is well hidden.  So when that liquid welled and fell down.. tracing its path across her cheek I knew it was serious. And so I sat back down and waited for her to talk.  Dad had been in jail for 2 days.  He was a hustler… selling little things.. making money where he could.  Every evening they ate their one meal with the money he could get throughout the day.  And so since he hadn’t come.. food hadn’t been there.  Eight of them.. for 2 days.  And grandma was in the hospital in the country.. no family there with her to help her through.  And something was crippling the cousin.  And sickness was falling on different members of the family.  And it all looked so impossible.. and we tried to encourage.  Jesus see’s.. Jesus knows.  He is holding you.  But no matter the words I could see it wasn’t hitting the mark.  And I knew what she was thinking but didn’t really want to go there.  But finally I asked..
                “you think its witchcraft?”
And her head turned and her shining dripping eyes met mine and she nodded.  Finally words that spoke to the inner turmoil.  Yeah, in her mind that seemed like the only explanation.  And I sat there sending up silent prayers for words and wisdom that I didn’t have. 
This was something I had never grown knowing.  Sure you hear stories.. but never in my life did I ever see its practical affects.  Where I lived there weren’t signs on every other light post that read “Mganga” and listed the number for consultation below.  I didn’t see on television the footage recounting the affects.  
So I sat there at such a lack.  Not knowing much on that front.. but the one thing I DID know was my Jesus! And so that is what we talked about. 
Greater is He.  He is in me.  I am in Him.  The cross.  The Complete Victory and utter defeat of every other when He rose.  He is truth.. other voices may speak.. may whisper and masquerade a power.  But they are impotent words.  A charade for us who have been brought into The Fold. 
Then we prayed.  Because words don’t mean much.  This is something that needs to be known.. in head and heart.  It needs to be felt too.  She needs to see Him protecting.. she needs to hear Him singing His love song over her.  She needs that experience.
The other day I heard a man talk of this very thing.  He said something like this.. ‘Just a crack… just a narrow opening.. just a slight break down and we think that the enemy of our souls is going to come rushing in.  We hear those preaching’s… “just crack the door.. and he is gonna come crashing through.”  But you can open the door WIDE to Jesus and nothing is going to happen.’ 
We believe more in the power of him who has fallen than He who was RAISED and IS REIGNING.
We read that “perfect love casts out fear.” 
And that perfect love isn’t a feeling.. it’s a Person.  His name is Jesus. So according to the bible.. this is Jesus…
Jesus suffers long and is kind; Jesus does not envy; Jesus does not parade Himself, is not puffed up; Jesus does not behave rudely, does not seek His own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; Jesus does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth; Jesus bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  JESUS NEVER FAILS.
In song of Solomon we read of His utter delight in us, His bride.  How He wants to go away with us… to hear our voice… How we are sweet and lovely in His sight.  He sees no spot in us.. we ravish His heart with a SINLGE glance.  He seeks us out.. His desire is for us.  His desire is for you. 
so maybe the answer for her.. for us.. is to spend time with this Lover of our souls.  To surrender ourselves to Him and let Him reveal Himself to us.  To get away with Him and let Him speak to us.. and surround us with His love.  To rise early and read His Holy love letter.. to speak often with Him.   Maybe its time for us to start living like He is really there.  To wake up and greet Him.. to drive to work with Him in the passenger seat.. to eat our lunch with Him.. to rock that baby with Him.. to wash the dishes with Him.. to plow the field with Him.  Young ladies.. go on dates with your Jesus.  Young man.. go fishing.. go on a drive in your truck with this Greatest friend. Mom.. Dad.. sit on the porch with Him.. go on a walk with Him… Mow the yard with Him.  Acknowledge that He is there and then ACT like it.  Don’t just wait to meet Him on Sunday morning in that pew.. or at that altar.. He is HERE NOW!!! 
and as you know Love… watch fear slip quietly into the background. 
for we who have been redeemed carry within us that life that trumps ALL!
When we have walked with Real Love, and have come to know Truth Himself.. when we have that knowledge and experience.. when our ears are trained to hear Him and our eyes drawn to His beauty.. there simply won’t be time for any other voices to speak into our lives. 
Then maybe if we are forced to kneel in the sand by the sea and hear words of hate spoken and then have to surrender our necks to the blade we can do it with a smile because we see it as a Grand entrance into the presence of that One in whom we find Greatest delight!!!