Loving without fear

I need to not be writing this. I need to be getting ready to run some of the hundreds of errands I have to complete before I leave next Friday, but Jesus gave me an awesome revelation this morning and I had to share because I think it is going to be incredibly important to me throughout this next year. I'm sure that what I wrote in my journal would be completely incoherent to anyone but me so I will try to make it clearer in my retelling of it.

I was thinking about love and about why we love who we love. And I wrote, "who my heart loves is up to You, because You own my heart and You teach it to love and You love through me." If I'm already making no sense at all, refer to 1 John 4:7-21, but it might be just as confusing. It occurred to me, that is the reason we are called to love everyone. Because we cannot love God and NOT love anyone, which is why He says, "Anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God." We cannot hold hatred in our hearts for anyone and expect to still hold love for God. God loves everyone and if He lives in us, then like 1 John 4:12 says, "His love is made complete in us." And when we love like God, we will love everyone without prejudice, judgment, or fear. That is why Mission Year. That is why I'm excited to go to "the most dangerous city in the nation." Because God is teaching me to love without fear, because "perfect love drives out fear." 1 John 4:18