IT IS A CONSTANT REFRAIN IN SCRIPTURE: “DO NOT BE AFRAID” – DON’T LIVE OUT OF FEAR. OF COURSE, IT IS NATURAL THAT WE ALL SOMETIMES FEEL AFRAID. WE’RE AFRAID OF BEING ALONE, OF FAILING, OF NOT COPING. BUT IF WE LIVE OUR LIVES FROM A PLACE OF FEAR, IT IS DAMAGING TO US, TO OUR RELATIONSHIPS, TO OUR COMMUNITIES. ONE NEEDS TO FIND SOMETHING THAT GIVES A SENSE OF SAFETY, OF SECURITY, OF HOME. AND THAT COMES WITH ACCEPTING WE ARE ALL KNOWN BY GOD AND LOVED BY GOD. IF YOU ALLOW THAT TRUTH IN, IT ENABLES YOU TO FIND FREEDOM FROM FEAR. SO YOU CAN LIVE OUT NOT OF FEAR BUT OF HOPE AND GRATITUDE.’
