Foundations' Blog

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment." — 1 John 4:18 (NIV)

Fear is a universal human experience; no one can live long without encountering it. While fear itself is not a sin (even our perfect Savior experienced it in the Garden of Gethsemane), it is something we are cautioned against and encouraged to overcome. The only fear we are to retain is the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10, Matthew 10:28). In this blog, I want to explore 1 John 4:18 and consider how "perfect love" can dispel the fear we face.

What comes to mind when you think of "perfect love"? It might be a love that we yearn to feel, possess, and share. The idea of experiencing or expressing perfect love seems beyond our reach, as our love is often tainted by selfish motives and agendas. Yet, perfect love does exist—it emanates from a perfect God, who is Love.

To understand this concept, let’s examine the verse within its context:

"God is love....

I’m not a big fan of heights, or in fact, small spaces. So when we took a trip to Paris last Summer and entered a hundred-year-old elevator in the Eiffel Tower to get to the top, I was hesitant. For me, I had to fight a battle of fear in my head while taking slow breaths and saying mini prayers. Then when we reached the top, I needed to focus on the physical sensations of my feet touching the floor and my hands in contact with the railings to stay grounded and not allow my fears to get the best of me. A victory, for sure.

A common theme in movies and books includes a main character who is afraid of something and then chooses to overcome their fear through a brave act to protect others, defeat a foe, or save the world. This is a well-received theme in movies because everyone can relate to being afraid in certain situations or afraid of other people, and we all desire to have the bravery to overcome the fear (or wish we did in the past). 

Fear is powerful in our lives. It...

We are almost three years post-pandemic and still feeling the effects. For numerous families, COVID has played a harmful role in bringing anxiety, depression, health issues, and even death. For other families, it did very little but add a wet blanket to an otherwise normal life. Yet the societal effects of lockdowns and changes in the workplace, schools, and culture have placed a weight on lives that are difficult to measure except by the simple term, ‘capacity.’ We, as a society, are nearing, have reached, or have exceeded our emotional and sometimes physical capacity…and it’s showing.

Numerous mental health studies have concluded that anxiety and depression have risen by around 25%, and people have reported that their mental health has decreased since the COVID pandemic. Stress, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and loneliness have increased. Motivation and morale in the workplace have declined while many are not showing up to work, leaving others to...