I was taught the opposite of love is hate, but I now believe the opposite of love is fear.  Love and hate are closely related, but someone full of fear is unable to love.  One must first put aside fear in order to act out of love.

We recently had a stray cat show up at our house.  Our cat was unwelcoming to this trespasser.  Mike and I thought we heard Caroline screaming and went immediately to check on her, only to discover she was still asleep in her bed.  We heard the noise again and discovered it was coming from the garage.  Our cat was making this horrible noise and standing over the top of another cat looking ready to strike at the first move, while the other cat lay there with his belly up looking warily and submissively at Kitty Paws.  I scruffed our cat and brought him inside and closed the doggy doors for a couple of hours to separate the two.  Apparently, Kitty Paws saw this intruder as a threat, though from my perspective it was the other cat that should have been fearful!

The next day, Mike and I went to Miami.  When we returned home a couple days later, we discovered the new cat had moved in, and all three cats (we already had two) and our dog were getting along beautifully.  If only people could resolve problems so quickly!

Why are we fearful of people who are different from us?  What keeps us from getting to know others and forming relationships?  Perhaps we could take a lesson from the cats and use a non-threatening approach and stick around long enough to get to know others. Maybe forming relationships is the first step to getting past our fears and making room for love in our lives.

Read I John 4:7-21, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally!

Annie