Article October 2, 1915 Issue

Love versus Fear

GERTRUDE JUBB

In his first epistle St. John tells us that "there is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear." In fact, he puts before us very plainly that in so far as we hold fear in our consciousness, we are lacking in the realization of God's love to us, and of our debt of love to our fellow man. Nevertheless, this terrible fear, which has been latent in mortal mind ever since the beginning of the Adam-dream, attended by its corresponding lack of love, is generally the antagonist that opposes our first steps in the way of Christian Science.

Fear may manifest itself in many forms,—in sickness, sin, or limitation; in any case, there it is, confronting us with stern and menacing attitude, or else subtly lying in ambush until the moment arrives when it finds us negligent and unguarded, and lets fly its poisonous darts of evil. It is as if one were suddenly left alone on the edge of a vast morass, stretching out gray and somber on every side. The darkness deepens every moment, and each step slowly but surely sinks farther down into the horrible mire. Very soon, as the blackness of darkness covers all things, the lonely and distraught traveler loses all hope. An agonizing cry for help goes up to the great "I am," and the mandate is issued, "Let there be light." Then the lesser light, which God made to rule the night, shines forth, and is sufficient to guide the weary feet to a place of safety on higher ground.

Even so it must be with all of us who have started on the road that our Master trod before us. We must go forward step by step, ever onward and upward, ever gaining a clearer realization of the Christ, until fear and sin, and even death, are overcome, and we wake to know that all past trials and difficulties are but as a dream which is gone forever, and realize that all things which are pure, harmonious, and at-one with God, remain; such is the full assurance of Love. We who have set out to follow the Master, must go every step of the way he traversed, and drink of the cup from which he drank, before we can find our way out of the valley and reach the mountain tops where fear is unknown, and where we can see the unreality of everything material and know that God is All.

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