What is the opposite of cowardice? “Bravery” or “courage” are the first words that pop into my mind, and probably most other people’s. So when I read, “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of...” my brain wants to automatically fill in one of those two words next. But instead, the three words the writer of this letter contrasts against cowardice are power, love, and self-discipline. Clearly, the writer wanted to get across that these three values demonstrate a lack of cowardice; that they are, in fact, courageous. The idea of love being courageous and opposed to cowardice is especially interesting to me.
Love, as a concept, is everywhere in our culture. However, as Christians, we see an extra dimension of love: God’s perfect love for us, which allows us to love others in turn. This added dimension is where the contrast between love and cowardice comes from. 1 John 4:18 says “perfect love casts out fear.” When we understand God’s perfect love for us, our fear goes away. We know that no matter what happens, He’s got us. Even in death, God’s love won’t leave us. This doesn’t mean we’ll never be afraid, of course. We’re human, and prone to forgetting how much God loves us, so we do fall into fear. But as Christians, we can fall back on the assurance of God’s love when we do fall into cowardice and fear.
The spirit of love we’re given also allows us to show God’s love to others. Showing that love is an act of courage. Loving our neighbors requires vulnerability and stepping outside our comfort zones, and that scares us. But the best cure for that fear is to face it and show love anyway. When we love others, God works through us to cast out our cowardice and bring our spirit of love to the forefront. And like God’s love casting out our fear, the love we give our neighbors has the ability to cast out their fear, too.
Love may not be the first word that comes to mind when we think about the opposite of cowardice, but it certainly fits.
Holy God, thank you so much for giving us spirits of love. What a huge blessing to be able to overcome our own fear and others’ through love. Please help us remember where love comes from and overcome our fear of showing it. Amen.
