We live in a world that only seeks to sell us stuff. Everything from status to salvation is commoditized to try and separate us from our finite time, labored wages and our singular standing as children of God. Divinely created not to be mere objects that consume, but subjects that generously generate love.
Every human intuitively knows this heavenly blessing, even if we deceive ourselves and others in our desire to believe otherwise. Every human innately understands that we are the only creatures with free agency in God’s good world. Every human instinctively comprehends that it’s both a blessing and a responsibility. Every human inherently senses that genuine love can never be coercive or conditional or constrained.
This is why the very nature of evil is to always subvert and sabotage love. Through manipulation of words, preying on our selfish desires, undermining trust and peddling fear. But the greatest of these timeless tactics (and never in a good way), is the selling of fear.
A tactic that I became very familiar with when I marketed pharmaceutical products. Telling people again and again and again that terrible things would happen if they didn’t buy X product. Guilting them into believing that they were putting themselves and others at risk even when the scientific evidence was manipulated or those involved were conflicted because they had a clear financial incentive to serve the company paying them. Like all self-serving secrets, they are shrouded in darkness and deception.
A tactic that politicians and institutions have used over and over and over again. Telling us why other people are our enemies. Filling us with fear because the “enemy” will hurt us and our families. Trying to convince us into believing only they can protect us from the false fears that they have generated. Like all lies of self-interest, they are shrouded in darkness and dishonesty.
A tactic that spiritual and religious leaders continue to employ again and again and again. Telling us that they, mortal creatures, truly know the heart of God. That salvation is earned or conditional as opposed to what it really is, grace. A gift from God, who gave His one and only Son to rescue all people from our own sense of self-importance, selfishness and death. Like all agents of fear, they are shrouded in darkness and duplicity.
For way too much of my life, I did not grasp this fundamental truth of Love. As a young man, living my life in a dishonest closet. Generating one lie after another to protect my reputation while hurting myself and others who I loved. I served fear as opposed to God.
As an adult, my fears only multiplied. Worrying about money, work and societal status. Still worrying about what other people thought of me, including people that I know didn’t love me. Fearful of trying to live up to the imagined expectations of colleagues and strangers. My fear once again, generating misery for myself and others who I loved. Still serving fear as opposed to God.
This self-defeating cycle of terror, dread and anxiety only ended after I humbled my repentant heart. Finally surrendering my life to the source of all life. To the source of all love; God is love.
Once I accepted God’s gift of unconditional grace, the veil of fear was lifted. No longer stumbling in darkness. No longer afraid of what if’s or what might be. No longer believing those who generate lies to scare us into servitude. Who only seek their own self-interest at the expense of everyone else. No longer living in fear of life itself.
Love never wants us to live in fear and certainly doesn’t seek to manufacture fear to serve itself. My litmus test of love; is the message being communicated about fabricated fear or honest helpfulness? Is it about the betterment of everyone or bullying by the powerful? Is about honoring God or hoarding wealth and power?
When you begin to apply this lens of love to life, the pervasiveness of fear becomes clear and evident. Evil begins to lose its powers of deception because love never manipulates. There is no fear in love.
Peace. God loves you.
If you want to learn more about how my spiritual awakening came to be, you can read further about it in my memoir Finding God in Vegas: A Gen X Spiritual Awakening, available on Amazon and across all platforms in print or electronic or audio.