CCC 27-4_LR 1

PASTORAL CARE

Faith Isn’t the Solution to Fear… Love Is Many of us have been advised that faith is the antidote to fear. “Just have more faith,” we’re told. If we were stronger Christians, we would not struggle with anxiety. But the truth is, faith alone is not the solution. It’s not that simple. Faith chang es direction; it leads us to God, but it does not dismantle fear. Love does. Scripture makes this clear. In 1 John 4:18 (NIV), we are told: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment….” Perfect love casts out fear— not faith, courage, or resolve. Love. God’s love is not rooted in performance or perfection but in His deep delight in us. When we are convinced of this love, fear loses its grip. Love Reframes Everything One of the most profound revelations in my spiritual journey is that we do not conquer fear by being fearless. We conquer fear by being so captivated by something beautiful and so filled with love for it that fear cannot stand in its presence. That is what Jesus did. Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) tells us: “… For the joy set before him he endured the cross….” What allowed Jesus to face suffering, pain, abandonment, and death itself? Love. A beautiful vision of humanity redeemed… of you and me reconciled to the Father. He saw something so good and lovely that it was worth enduring the unthinkable. This is our call, too—to fix our eyes on a joy bigger than our fear and set a vision so beautiful that it outshines the risks. When we love something deeply, like our families, calling, or the people we are meant to serve, we will do what fear says we can not. We will go to therapy, forgive, dream, risk, and try again. The Power of Beauty Jesus gives us a profound, yet simple, tool to overcome fear: beauty. In the book of Matthew, in the middle of teaching about anxiety, Jesus tells us to “look at the birds” (6:26, NIV) and “consider the lilies” (6:28, ASV). He is not being poetic; He is being practical. Jesus is saying: When fear clouds your vision, look for beauty. “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them…. And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flow ers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin” (Matthew 6:26, 28, NIV). When we are anxious, the first thing we lose sight of is beau ty. We stop seeing what is lovely, gratitude disappears, and cynicism takes over. However, when we pause and truly see, we remember that God cares for even the smallest of His cre ations. How much more does He care for us? Creating a Beautiful Life When we create something beautiful—a painting, a home, a healed relationship, or a redeemed life—we act like our Creator. Have you ever done something and complimented yourself? It could have been something you cooked, a problem you solved, an outfit you put together, or a concept you came up with. Regardless of what we create, we savor it and then compliment ourselves.

Christian Counseling Connection 29