“We know, and we rely on God’s love for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them… There’s no fear in love. But perfect love expels fear.” 1 John 4:16-18
Heavenly Father, this passage underscores the greatness of your love, the depth of our need, and the heartbeat of the Gospel. We can truly know and fully rely on your love of us in Jesus. It’s not like thin ice we’re wise to mistrust, or the old beach chair we’re not sure can bear our weight. Your love is the greatest, most reliable constant in our lives. Hallelujah.
This passage also helps us realize how close living in fear and living in love are to each other. Sometimes they inhabit the same heart, same home, and same holiday gathering. So, Abba, help us “prep” our hearts for the next few days, and not just the meal, table, and decorations. Relationships expose our need for more of the Gospel more than anything else.
We can’t love anyone we fear, so help us rely on your love in our “stickiest,” most slippery, fragile relationships. Replace our anxieties with curiosity, our worry with welcome, and our guardedness with playfulness. Whoever is standing before us, may Jesus be bigger in our gaze, hearts, and the moment.
Whatever culinary delights fill our holiday menu—high, mid, low, no carbs—may the greatest feast be your Fatherly kindness, extraordinary grace, and perfect love. So Very Amen.