In Search of the Perfect Love

I was reading an article the other day about marital discord. I was aghast to learn that in India as well as in other parts of the world, divorce rate is going up and families are breaking up. This, in turn, is giving rise to other social problems.

The most common grievance a husband has against the wife or vice versa, a family counselor said, is that his/her spouse cannot "understand" him/her. Lack of communication or miscommunication is one of the primary factors leading to a breakdown of peace and happiness in a family.

Indeed, relationship problems are not restricted to just spouses. It can occur between parents and children, boyfriend and girlfriend, employee and employer. Relationship problems can happen between just about anyone and everyone.

So what actually causes breakdown in a relationship? It is fear! At one point of time in our lives or the other, we have all faced fear in relationships. As much as we wish to love one another, we also fear one another as much. We all wish to open up our hearts to one other, express our true feelings to one another. But sometimes fear grips us and we lose the courage to do so. Though we wish to be close to one another, we become hesitant, uncertain, withdrawn and fail to communicate deeply or openly. Why? Because we all fear hurting others and we also fear of getting hurt ourselves. But it is this fear that actually makes us unknowingly hurt others or which has led us to be hurt by others.

Fear makes us lose confidence in others and ourselves. Fear makes us lose faith in others and ourselves.

So how do we overcome this fear so that we can enjoy a more fruitful and wholesome relationship? Apostle John says that fear is opposite of love (1 John 4:18–19). What is the amazing confession of Apostle John? He is saying, "There is no fear in love." When we love one another, we should not fear one another. But, we still continue to fear. Why? Because the love expressed by us is often conditional. Only unconditional love can drive out fear. Only "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18). What is this "perfect love"? How can we receive and reveal this "perfect love"? This "perfect love" is the love revealed by Father God and His One and Only Living Son, Christ Jesus. The "perfect love" is the unconditional love revealed by Father God and His Son.

What is Apostle John's amazing confession? He is saying that he has heard with his ears, he has seen with his eyes, he has touched with his hands – the "perfect love," that is, Christ Jesus Himself (1 John 1:1–4).

Christ Jesus is the embodiment of the "perfect love" Apostle John is speaking about. Through His life, we get to know how deep the love of Father God is. Jesus did not just die on the Cross for our sins. But His very life was a life of Cross, the path He walked was the way of the Cross. Though Jesus was the Son of God, yet, in flesh, He was as human as any of us. Jesus felt pain when He was beaten and scourged. He felt hurt when He was scorned and despised and ridiculed. And, he felt and tasted the fear of death in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed to His Father to deliver Him. But Christ Jesus endured and overcame everything, even fear of death, because of the unconditional and "perfect love" that He had for each one of us. He healed the sick and embraced the sinners, prayed for those who scorned and mocked Him and forgave those who crucified Him. It was His unconditional and deep love for each one of us that made Him overcome fear in every moment of His life. Even death on a Cross!

It is this unconditional and deep love of Father God that was revealed by Jesus, which we need, to overcome fear in our lives. When we can live revealing this deep love of Christ, we will be able to overcome all kinds of fear and even love those who are insufficient and have offended or hurt us.

Fear is the most powerful weapon of Satan. What do we all fear? We all fear being judged, condemned and punished. It is this fear that Satan tries to drive deep into our hearts. And, as we begin to fear, we become more withdrawn and we lose faith and we tend to stray away from God.

If we have to win over Satan, we must reveal the deep love of God through our lives. And, we can reveal the "perfect love" of Christ when we live the same life He lived and walk the same path He walked. When we live in the love of God, we do not fear. And, when we do not fear, we find peace in our lives and mature in faith.

With the "perfect love" that Christ Jesus has revealed to us, with the peace that comes from Father God above, we can overcome everything.

Do you have any form of fear in your life? If yes, lay it down today itself before God and pray to Him to fill us with His perfect and unconditional love.

Remember, "perfect love" and fear do not go together. Decide today how you want to live – whether you want to continue being used by Satan or become a noble instrument in the Hands of God.

Drive out all your fears today and embrace His "perfect love." And, experience how God weaves His miracle in this world, the miracle that is you!