Words of Hope: Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
My husband Shann was speaking recently to a group of people describing his life before Christ came to him with healing power. He had been a lonely child, so afraid of the physical darkness, he was afraid to turn off the light.
As he spoke to the group, Shann began to weep as he focused in his mind’s eye on the image of his child self so utterly alone. I and many others wept with him.
To think of this radiant, loving, deeply courageous man as a lonely, fearful boy was so overwhelming not because his story was unique but that it is so common, tragically shared by children all around the world.
When Christ entered Shann’s life it wasn’t just salvation for some future heaven, but it was salvation in the here and now…life, peace, light, and abundant joy.
When I worked at a sexual assault center, I was given glimpses of children afraid of the dark because harm awaited them there. Shann, though he had not experienced this kind of harm, understood this dread. Without love, without hope, without the touch of a deeply loving friendship with family and God, a child navigates an existence of isolation that is terrifying.
Shann innately knew love existed, but he also knew he hadn’t experienced it fully. This lonely expanse in his heart was bridged by Christ.
When Shann saw and felt loved by God, darkness held no more fear.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. – 1 John 4:18
