Perfect Love

"Perfect Love drives out all fear," so says St. Paul. Well, I don't have perfect love, so I cannot drive out all fear. This is not what Paul was talking about. It is not my love that is at issue, it is God's perfect love.

To focus on striving to have perfect love is to focus on ethics, behavior, right and wrong. This is the way we begin to teach the Christian way. It is all about my doing the right thing. Of course, if this is all you get, you end up doing the wrong things lots of times, based upon fear.

The mystical way does not begin with ethics. It begins with deep prayer. We have to become touched by the perfect love of God that is indwelling in the Spirit. We don't get this love, or access this Presence, by our outward deeds, but by taking time in stillness and silence to allow God to reveal this Divine Love to us. Once we live with this realization of God's love for us, then fear will be driven away. The motives of our outward actions will become energized by Divine Love.

I generally do better in the world of interaction and deeds, if I take some time away from it all and just "be" with myself in stillness and silence. Surprise! I am never alone. Someone else is within. The Spirit waits. How about you? Too busy for stillness? Spare us.