When Love Casts Out Fear — And What Happens When I Forget That

Hola Mariposas! Happy July 1st!

I’ve been having a slow start this morning but the Holy Spirit really guided me to sit down and read through 1 John. As I’ve been going through it, I’m learning a lot about love. Not just love in the way we casually throw the word around, but real love. The kind of love that God talks about. The importance of abiding in love. The importance of having discernment and being able to recognize what is unloving in this world.

And honestly, being that it’s July 1st and the start of the real summer months with no work, I’ve been thinking about how much I want to intentionally cultivate that in my life. I want to cultivate love. I want to create space for God’s love to dwell in me. I want to protect my environment so that His love can be perfected in me this summer.

The more I sit with 1 John 4, the more I realize how often I forget how loved I actually am by God. And that forgetfulness is dangerous. It’s in the forgetting that I shrink back. It’s in the forgetting that fear creeps in. It’s in the forgetting that I stop loving others the way I’m called to.

That’s why that hymn, Lead Me to Calvary, means so much to me. The line that says “Lest I forget Thy love for me” just hits so real. Because that’s exactly where I go left. When I forget how deeply I’m loved, I get caught up in my own head. My choices shift. My boldness disappears. I fall into fear, into hiding, into feeling like I’m not enough.

But God’s love isn’t small like that. His love casts out fear. His love is patient. His love is victorious. His love shows up.

And if I really believe that, I don’t have to be afraid to love boldly. To live boldly. To show up in the spaces He’s called me to, even when I feel insecure or unqualified.

I’ll be honest, I still wrestle with fear when it comes to stepping into the things God has placed on my heart. Whether it’s hosting wellness workshops or creating space for women to heal and grow or even just being consistent in my own spiritual leadership. The fear of not being enough or not knowing enough still tries to creep in.

But I also see evidence that God is producing love in me. I see it in my patience. I see it in my desire to grow. I see it in the way I’m learning not to envy others but to trust that God isn’t withholding anything from me.

There are still areas where love isn’t flowing the way I want it to. My boldness in serving His kingdom. My confidence in inviting others to know Him. But I know that starts with remembering His love for me. Returning to His love over and over until it becomes my foundation.

Because God’s love casts out fear. And when I remember that, I can remember the life that Jesus died for me to live. I can be bold in my actions and my thoughts. I can walk through this summer and through my life asking myself, what do I really have to lose?

The more I abide in His love, the more I realize the only thing I stand to lose is the fear that’s been holding me back. And I’m ready to let that go.

-a