A Reflection from “An Antidote to Fear” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
By: Sharon Hughes
My friend Takpor survived a civil war. He was twelve years old when the Liberian Civil War broke out, which lasted fourteen years and took thousands of innocent lives. The aftermath had a devastating effect on families, communities and the infrastructure of the country that Liberia is still dealing with today.
I reached out to Takpor this week to ask him for a word of advice after the attacks on the U.S capitol, as emotions are high and the temptation to “hate” is ever-present, even among Christ- Followers. After all, Takpor had to forgive people who killed his family members, so surely he would have a word for us.
He pointed me to 1 John 4:20:
“If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
What a timely scripture to meditate on, especially as we honor Dr. King and his voice on nonviolence and loving our enemy. I’ve been digging into Dr. Kings sermon “An antidote to Fear” and believe it further expounds the words of my friend Takpor as an instructive voice for Urban Christian women in this cultural moment.
In his sermon, Dr. King poignantly maps out that before there was war there was hate. Before there was hate there was fear.
So the question for us is, what do we fear?
Do you fear white supremacy, a white supremacist, the tenants of Black lives Matter, Black lives, Riots, Insurrection, Critical Race Theory, “Woke” Culture, Black Power, integrated neighborhoods, violence, altered social status, the American church losing political standing, Donald Trump, Joe Biden?
What do you fear? In this moment, can you name it? Dr. King gives an amazing analogy...
Fear can be rooted in real danger, like the potential of stepping on a poisonous snake in the Amazon.
Fear can also be irrational, like the potential of finding a poisonous snake under the carpet in your city apartment.
What do you fear? Is it rational?
When we bring our fears to the forefront of our consciousness we can analyze their roots. We may pinpoint a childhood trauma, a rogue apprehension about “the other” or as Dr. King says, “a misuse of the imagination”. Do we see pride or self-preservation when we acknowledge our fears?
So how do we keep fears, whether rooted in reality or irrational by nature, from taking root in our lives and sprouting buds of hate? How do we avoid bitterness, escapism, violence, or oppression? How do we choose courage in the face of our fears instead of hate?
Perfect Love Casts out fear. Perfect Love Casts out fear. Perfect Love Casts out fear.
We must muster up the courage to choose love over hate. As Dr. King poignantly states, “Hatred paralyzed life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”
And show me a more perfect love than the man with brown skin who laid down his life for all of us while at the same time bearing the weight of shame, oppression, hatred and sin. The one who sat and ate with the tax collectors and the sinners. The one who prioritized the poor, crippled, blind and lame and then still offered a seat at the table to anyone else who would like to join in. He refused to let hate win. Even the reality of his death failed to contain his love for us. His perfect love had the power to transcend a violent unjust death.
In these coming days we may need acute discernment to understand and name our fears but hate should never be the answer. Like Takpor reminded me, hate for our brother and love for God, cannot co-exist.
Don’t let the seed of hate take root. Perfect love casts out fear and Christ is our ultimate example.
