Love and Torment

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18 KJV

I heard someone recently say, I love you, however, the love portrayed was full of doubt, fear, torment.

You see, torment, is severe mental and/or physical suffering. Severe suffering.

When I consider 1 John 4:8b, …God is love, There is no suffering in God, only peace. It’s the same with love. There should be no mental or physical suffering – only peace.

I’ve learned from personal experience, and have shared with my own children, that love, God’s way, doesn’t lead you to worry or fret. There’s a calm, a peace. It won’t have you checking your phone, or their’s… There is a peace that comes.

As I mentioned, I heard someone say, I love you, however the “love” was full of manipulation. Want to know how someone really feels about you, tell them “no.” “No” seemed to be a trigger for a barrage of questions, uncertainty, and when the intended result wasn’t given, eventually a character and identity attack, sandwiched between platitudes. I call this manipulation.

No is an answer. A perfectly acceptable answer.

To know God is to know love. We cannot know love without knowing God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 1 John 4:8 KJV

I believe that some people love to the best of their abilities. However, we must strive to love like Jesus. And the only way to truly love is to know Jesus.

This kind of love is free from anxiety, worry, fear, doubt, over thinking, etc…

I want a love like that and I want to love like that 🤍

*Original image by Yours Truly ☀️🌸