Fearless? A fearless renewal? Today? Simply put – it begins with God. And if it begins with God, it begins with love. As John teaches us: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us…” (1 John 4:10a). And being typically human, we ask: Prove it! Well, the proof that God loves us doesn’t come in the form of a diamond but rather in the shape of a wooden cross (according to John 3:16).
Reading the first letter of John, it feels as though a diamond is in our midst – the word “love” appears 47 times! Just listen: “We love because He first loved us” (v19). To which the Church Father, Augustine, said: “God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us.” This reminds me of my sister, who years ago, when I asked how one could ever love a second child as much as the first, said: “Your heart doesn’t divide; it enlarges.”
I always think of the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta: “Once you discover how much God loves you, you cannot help but radiate love.” You live outwardly what is within you. If God’s love permeates you, then love becomes your mother tongue. As John also writes: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” (1 John 4:18) Fearlessly, we can begin to love; fearlessly, we can hope; fearlessly, we can live – even amidst all the uncertainty the world presents.
As John says: “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is made complete in us” (1 John 4:12). Do you want to know if you believe in God? Measure it by the love you live out.
PRAYER: Thank you that I hold the diamond of Your love; that the cross shows me the way.
ART: Provincial Spring, Ludwich Olivier, contact ludwich_olivier on Instagram.
MUSIC: We listen to YehlaMoya, a Zulu traditional spiritual song, arranged by Mbuso Ndlovu and performed by the Südtiroler Landesjugendchor in Northern Italy. From the lyrics:
Somandla, Baba Wethu (Almighty, Our Father)
Thel’uMoya Oyingcwele (Pour out your Holy Spirit)
Izwe lethu lonakele (Our Nation is corrupt/spoiled)
Yehla Moya Oyingcwele (Come down Holy Spirit)
Sithembele kuwe (We rely on you)