The opposite of love isn’t hate. No, according to the Apostle John, the opposite of love is fear, along with anger, its near-constant companions. However, in 1 John, we’re invited to abandon fear and return repeatedly to the home made for us within God’s reliable love. Just as fear can multiply among a group of people, love is meant to do so as well. When fear fights back, seeking to displace God’s love in our relationships, we need to ask ourselves, “Why? Why am I afraid to love as Jesus did right now?”

In today's polarized, often chaotic world, we have all the more reason to love generously without fear. As Pastor Bo writes, “Our community flourishes in direct proportion to the way our love flourishes for one another.”