The Takeaway

The fear of God should “pressure” me
To prioritize treating my family
With the fruits of the spirit
Even over accomplishing
What I thought He told me to do.

The Dream

My family has been staying in some kind of suite.
We are checking out.
Apparently need to meet our tour group
Or perhaps a youth group
Possibly to catch a train at a certain time.

We have packed all the large items
But there’s lots of small stuff left
For example, all the shoes and socks
are in a somewhat organized lineup
outside one of the closets

We still need to take (put on)
what we are going to use
so we can finish packing the rest.

There’s some disagreement
on how urgent this is.
Does the train leave at 1pm or noon?
How long will it take to get there?
Do we all need to be there by then?
Or just me?

I am feeling anxious.
This is really important.
I don’t want to miss it.
So I would rather err on the side of caution.
Have everyone get there before the earliest possible time.

Reflection

But that isn’t how the rest of the family feels.
And it isn’t fair of me to pressure them
Simply because of my fear.

For anything done out of fear
Is not being done out of faith.

Even the fear of God
Should be a constraint
Not the primary motivation.

In fact
The fear of God should “pressure” me
To prioritize treating my family
With the fruits of the spirit
Even over accomplishing
What I thought He told me to do.

Because perfect love casts out all fear
And If I think God is a harsh master
I do not yet truly understand the cross

I need to lay my life down
Precisely at the intersection
Of living the Truth I have received
And loving the People God has given me