Driven Out

Fear has been on my mind a lot. Fear can energize or paralyze. It is the instigator for most acts of heroism. It is the culprit in most acts of hatred.

The unknown can cause great amounts of fear and strife. This could be an unknown future. It could also be an unknown lifestyle, culture or religion. 

I had the privilege to teach many different students in my art classes over the years. Each year, for 8 years, a set of students came into my room for 200 days. They completed assignments. They laughed with me, cried with me and confided in me. They enjoyed great successes. They suffered great losses. The students I had the honor to teach spanned the widest spectrum imaginable in socio-economic background, family heritage, intellectual development, religious belief and sexual orientation. My students have been my window to the world.

In this microcosm of diversity I was privileged to see the parts of the human race that bring us together. As humans, we all want the same things. We want unfailing love. We want peace.

It is easy to be afraid of someone I have no relationship with. If all I see is what is presented from a news source or a social media outlet, it is really easy to keep up walls and determine what or who is "right" and "wrong." Making these judgements and building these walls is the direct result of living in fear. 

God tells me over and over not to be afraid. 

"This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9

For so long I have held this verse close to my heart to quiet my own fears about the unknowns in my life. But I think God knows the human heart and the susceptibility of human nature to act out in evil because we are afraid. When we are afraid we keep people out, we ignore people, we rationalize treating them differently, we may even justify acts of violence to drive out those who are unknown to us.

"16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence BECAUSE WE LIVE LIKE JESUS HERE IN THIS WORLD.

18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love drives out all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first."
1 John 4:16-19 NLT/NIV (emphasis added)

The key to finding this perfect love is trust. I have to TRUST that God really means what He says when He tells me His love is UNFAILING. If I am secure in the fact that God loves me, then certainly I should be able to love others.

"But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.
    I will always TRUST in God’s unfailing love."
Psalm 52:8

This verse hit me in a new way when I read it while contemplating fear.
Olive trees are famous for being able to thrive in the worst conditions, where other trees could not grow or bear fruit, the olive tree could. They are also famous through out many cultures in history for symbolizing peace. From Greek mythology to Arab folk traditions. For Christians, God first promised peace with an olive branch. 

To be like an olive tree would mean that I would be peaceful and thriving in the midst of dry and harsh soil. To TRUST in God's unfailing love means all fear would be driven out, instead of allowing fear to drive out others. To personify the peace offering that is the olive tree in today's world means that I would not act out of fear toward my fellow humans on this earth.

I would not be so arrogant as to say who had the right to be loved like Jesus loves them; like Jesus loves me. No matter what paths they have chosen or not chosen in their life. I am called to love them peacefully. Even if all those around me are yelling to hide or to fight, God said, be courageous. God said to love. Because He loved first.