by Gail Gritts
I John 4:18 – “…perfect love casteth out fear…”
Our temporal emotional struggle can vex our souls. We know truth. We believe truth. But maintaining emotional balance eludes us. Fear grips our hearts and colors our responses.
Reading Dr. Caroline Leaf’s book, The Perfect You, brought me to some mighty science and a rich new understanding of I John 4:18. Let me share with you what she wrote.
“An attitude is a cluster of thoughts with emotional flavor, and every type of emotion has one of only two roots: love or fear. Science is, in fact, showing us there is a massive unlearning of negative toxic thoughts when we operate in love…some of the chemicals the brain releases when we operate…include oxytocin, which literally melts away the negative toxic thought clusters so that rewiring of new nontoxic circuits can happen. This chemical also flows when we trust, bond, and reach out to others.” (p 49)
Isn’t that amazing? When we fellowship and create friendships, we are actually melting away negative clusters and rewiring our brains for the better!
“So choosing to operate in the default nature of love literally can wipe out fear.” (P 49)
Oh, I had to stop and think! Her sentence reminded me of something I had read in Uninvited, by Lysa TerKeurst. Ms. TerKeurst advised entering each fearful situation by inviting God to go with you. God, who is love, can be the default. He is that perfect love that casts out fear! But let me get back to Dr. Leaf.
“Another amazing chemical called dopamine also works with oxytocin. It flows as we expect and anticipate something. [Like that fearful situation.] It also puts us on heightened alert to facilitate the building of new memories as we imagine helping someone do well in a test or restore a relationship, [Like the value of doing a good deed. Or how helping others can help us out of depression.] or as we suddenly understand something we have been battling with, for example. [When the light comes on, and we grasp a truth.] It gives us a thrilling surge of energy, excitement, confidence, and motivation to carry on, as well as influencing the actual building of long-term memory. When we do good things and reach out in love, endorphins and serotonin are also released that make us feel great, which detoxes our brains and increases our motivation and wisdom, helping us negotiate life more successfully when we operate in love.” (pages 49-50)
Did you catch that? We can negotiate life more successfully when we operate in love. Because we are made in the image of God—and God is love—we are, as she called it, “wired for love.”
I think the Apostle Paul had a solid grasp on this truth. He said he could do all things through Christ, not through his own strength, but through the strength given him by Christ. He knew contentment and courage because he knew his Saviour. He knew love—the love that surrounded his life and ministry.
It is incredible, but God can do the same thing for me. After reading Lysa TerKeurst’s book, I have oft been reminded to invite the Lord to go with me and before me into situations where I am tempted to fear. God has brought such peace to my heart and made the crooked ways straight in these situations, just as He promised.
Now, as I read Dr. Leaf’s book, I am even more encouraged to work on destroying those negative clusters that plague my thought life by seeking to walk, talk, and think in love. I need that detoxing to negotiate life successfully!
When love is ruling in my heart, there is no place for fear. Fear is cast aside!
I challenge you to put it to the test! God designed us to operate best in love, not fear. Love is His arena, and you are most welcome there!
The Perfect You, Dr. Caroline Leaf, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2017.
