We operate from only two different places in our life and we get to choose that place.
Sometimes the simplest thoughts can be the most profound. As I write this I feel waves of anxiety trying to invade my thoughts and emotions. Since I’ve started speaking and designing full-time, I’ve had to really lean into God and hustle my butt off. Being an entrepreneur may sound glamorous and exciting but to be honest it’s scary. I mean, there is no paycheck every two weeks, there is no 401k plan, there is no earthly security for those who venture out on their own to live what God has put in our hearts to do. The anxiety is real but it can be dealt with. We have a choice.
The simple thought is one that isn’t new but it is profound. Jerry Jampolsky wrote the book Love is Letting Go of Fear. In it he basically conveys the simple idea that we have two basic emotions, love and fear. Everything we do is motivated from one of these two places. As a Christian, it would seem elementary that we should always do things out of love because our God is love. We serve a loving God and His nature should be worked out through us, so we should do everything out of love. Sounds easy right? Well, as a human, we have learned fear over time. Fear is birthed into us through our childhood and if we don’t learn to overcome it then we have the huge possibility to live our lives from a place of fear. So let’s look at these two places…
1. Fear – Fear encompasses just about every negative emotion we have. We experience sadness because we fear we will never have that relationship in our life. We experience anger because we fear that we are missing out on something or we fear someone has taken advantage of us in some way. We experience anxiety because of a fear of loss or insecurity. At the root of every negative emotion is fear. This is why we react is such a strong way when we feel upset because it is wired in us to “fight or flight”. This response is triggered by fear so we feel the need to defend ourselves. Typically we do it in a wrong way which usually produces more pain and more broken relationships.
2. Love – Love is the place that God wants us to operate from. Love is written about all throughout the bible. Just as fear is the root of negative feelings so love is the root of positive feelings. Love is what motivates us to trust. It’s what causes us to be generous. Love is what helps us respond with grace and patience. It is the root of all joy, contentment, and peace. Love is the antidote to fear. Love also comes with humility and this where most of us miss it. Honestly, I think I miss it way too much in my own estimation of myself. Why? Because I still have some form of pride that wants to correct and defend and fight for my right. When we have a good view of ourselves; the view that we were created to be loved, nothing more, nothing less, it helps us know that we can take the high road and respond in love. This is the very nature of God working through us.
The interesting thing is that neither fear or love can involuntarily run our lives. We make a choice very single time something happens to be love-driven or fear-driven. We can get angry or we can get patient. We can get revenge or we can be gracious. We can fight or we can turn the other cheek. With either choice we will get a result. Every time I’ve chosen love and God’s way, I always experience God’s blessing, favor, and fruit. Likewise, every time I choose fear and negativity, I always experience negative results.
We have the choice to respond out of love or fear. When we boil life down to these two emotions, it makes our choices and responses so much more clear. I’m far from perfect at this but I want to be more loving, I want to do things the right way and deep down inside I think we all want that as well.
Choose love today.
