The reason it is not immediately obvious to us that fear and love are so comparable is that we easily misunderstand love. Love is a word bandied around in our lives. I “love” sitting in a cozy armchair reading a good book; I “love” my family; I “love” a good laugh with my friends. And so I can blithely assume that “love” for God is just more of the same, meaning nothing more than a (perhaps vague) predilection or preference. Where some enjoy pudding, I enjoy God.
