As children of God, knowing that He is love and that love casts out FEAR, why do we yet still fear? Worst of all, why do we get so bent out of shape over what someone else believes as long as they’re not trying to put their beliefs on us? Could it be that what they believe is exposing a lie or a doctrine that we’re embracing and find hard to defend, or even believe ourselves? Let me explain.
Growing up in my denomination I was warned about “associating with Catholics“. I was told that Catholicism was a cult. I’ve snce learned two importnat things that have helped me be mroe like Jesus.
First, a cult is any group of people who think differently than you do!
Second, I was told not to “associate with” not only Catholics, but a dozen other denominations (Mormons and Jehovah Witness were close to the top of that long list). The reason I was to “steer clear” of them is because I might find out that some of what I was being taught was wrong! Ego will do that to a person or group. 
I’ve come to the conclusion that we can’t imagine God being as good as He really is.
We struggle with the GOOD NEWS! Can it really BE? 
George MacDonald said, “There are not a few who would be indignant at having their beliefs in God questioned, who yet seem greatly to fear imagining Him better than He is.” Note the word FEARin the quote.
Bertrand Russell put it this way, “I am not a Christian for many reasons. Millions of unfortunate women have been burned at the stake as witches, and there was every kind of cruelty practiced upon all sorts of people in the name of religion.” Listen, killing others, or being in FEAR of their ideas isn’t acting Christ-like.
Like cutting the ends off of a ham, and not knowing why, Christianity has swallowed some wrong doctrinal pills that are making us a bit crazy and causing our vision of God to be blurred. God is GOOD! He’s not mean-spirited. The Gospel is about mercy, forgiveness, grace, and unending-unconditional love. If you can SEE that, then fear of what someone else might or might not embrace matters not.
We love people regardless: like God does us!
Why are we afraid- for no doctrinally sound reason!
PS. A related story can be found by CLICKING HERE.
FEAR- an overwhelming, all consuming bondage. Been there/ done that/still hard to fight at times, but it sure does border on TRUST! Do we trust who we were CREATED to be? Not by our parents, not by our friends, not by our significant others, not even by our leaders. But by GOD ALMIGHTY HIMSELF!!!!
One of my biggest battles is and working on “WAS”
How I view myself and the strongest part was the REALITY that one day I made myself look in the mirror and i was not happy. However, I was IMMEDIATELY reminded “I am created in the image of God” HE created me BECAUSE HE LOVES ME so if i am looking in that mirror and saying, yuck. What am i really saying? God does not create great things? Oh OH. Now that is SCARY!!
Yeah yeah, i still don’t like mirrors or pictures much, but I am beginning to come to a much deeper understanding that I don’t have to be AFRAID of them, I don’t have to HIDE or hold an image because of FEAR of what others will say or think. Who cares what they think? I am learning to be REAL and know and accept that I am created in HIS image, He has a great plan for my life, no mater how much I may have THOUGHT i fowled it up. HE KNEW i was going to anyway because I was so afraid of what others thought and yet, the greatest gift of all? HE LOVES US ANYWAY!!!! My mind has told me that, my head had pounded with excitement of HIS words, My eyes are beginning to be unvailed to see His grace, mercy and LOVE!!! My heart is receiving that 12 inch Transfer and the FEAR IS SLOWLY melting away, even in the midst of ADVERSITY. The adversity itself has only TAUGHT me to be STRONG, TRUSTING, UNAFRAID.
HOW & Why? BECAUSE finally I have ACCEPTED WHO I AM, the PLANS HE HAS FOR ME, and most of all HIS COMPLETE and TOTAL LOVE!!!! For me! My circumstances have not changed YET !!!! but i have seen some small changes and the biggest one is in my HEART, in the FEAR that is starting to melt, and the belief that even if everything else is gone. I HAVE HIM!!!! The biggest Christmas gift, and the BIGGEST LIFE gift EVER
You’ve got it! His love is unconditional, inescapable, and awesome! ENJOY!