Perfect Love casts out fear
Earlier this week I was on the phone with a friend. We were talking about the ways in which God is moving and how He is using this time to reframe our perspective. She paused then proceeded to ask, “3 years ago, did you ever imagine that this is who you’d be?” My answer was a fluid, “absolutely not.” We hung up and rather quickly, I began to reflect on the last 3 years.
There are breakthroughs and breakdowns that embed themselves into our minds. It was a little over 3 years ago that I sat in one of my best friend's bathtubs with tears pouring out of my eyes. She sat on the other side not wavered by my shame. With every exasperated cry declaring “I need help.” She gently whispered, “Britney, there is help for you. Just keep taking deep breaths.” It would be another 9 months before I got sober and surrendered my life to Christ and by no means did change happen overnight. It was both a slow and sudden awakening in my spirit that God wanted more for me. I struggled to understand how He could want me, why He was so persistent after me, and how He could use me. Everything in me believed in Him but never, not once, had I stopped and considered believing Him.
If this pandemic has forced me to do one thing. It’s been to stop and considered all He’s carried me through. There are nights I should have never survived and tragedies I could have never escaped. But God. And of all the things that have changed, His Perfect Love remains the same.
There are breakthroughs and breakdowns that will be forever embedded in our minds. I’m convinced, this pandemic is one of them. In the last few weeks so much has changed but His Perfect Love remains the same. When we look back, what will we say? Will we allow ourselves to be consumed by doubt, uncertainty, and fear? Or, Will we boldly proclaim, “in the midst of my uncertainty, God was there.”
1 John 4:18 says, “Perfect Love casts out fear” and it’s through His words and this pandemic, I’m learning we have the security to breakdown and the power to breakthrough.
His Perfect Love casts out fear of being alone.
His Perfect Love casts out fear of failing.
His Perfect Love casts out fear of being misunderstood.
His Perfect Love casts out fear of being forgotten.
His Perfect Love casts out fear of the future.
His Perfect Love casts out ALL fears.
In years to come, when we’re asked, “did you ever imagine that this is who you’d be?” Let our answer boldly proclaim, “absolutely not but God’s Perfect Love continued to cover me.” Let this time shape up, mold us, and transform us into the people He's called us to be.