Wed., Jan. 6: 1 John 4:11-18; Mark 6:45-52

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.

Fear would seem to be the antithesis of love. Yet fear does have its function. It is a built-in protection mechanism, our innate, common-sense response to danger. But too often we don’t know what to do with fear. We get bogged down in it. We let it fester and morph into anxiety or depression. Adding to our trou­ble, people play on our fears, magnifying real dangers and manufacturing false ones. Let us use fear as it was intended, by taking it directly to the One who protects us from all harm and gives us con­fidence to face every threat.

*For the love that drives out fear, we pray.