The Only Remedy

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear." 1 John 4:18

Perfect love, not 5mg of Zyprexa. I couldn't help but think this as I glanced down at my patient's binder, where the doctor had scrawled a problem and solution. The patient in room 15 had "death anxiety" and the most the palliative ward doctor could do was prescribe an anti-psychotic drug. Talk about treating an overlying symptom instead of the root issue. However, it is to be expected from those who themselves claim there is no absolute truth or solution to life after death. The arising symptoms, fear and anxiety, of the unknown are treated so the dilemma itself can be overshadowed, suppressing the gnawing reality of a need for a Saviour.

If only in a lifetime people recognized Him when they'd seen Him, had taken time to stop and listen for answers, and had contemplated the essence of life in itself, rather than succumbing to the growing distractions and quickened pace of the 21st century. All too soon, each person has come to the same place - at the end of their own capacity and answering to another. What is it, "To know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge..." Ephesians 3:19. It's a love that compels, humbles, saves and strengthens. Perfect love is Christ - the only remedy that already diminished fear, by conquering death itself.