When we let fear be our ruler, it twists our perceptions, narrows our vision, and turns us away from the love of God and neighbor. Illustration by Elizabeth Kaye / Source Images: UnsplashFranklin Delano Roosevelt delivered perhaps his most famous line—“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”—at his first inauguration in 1933. And so just as Roosevelt understood, fear itself can be a dangerous and distorting force. And in this context of real uncertainty and anxiety, he offers this: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (4:18, ESV). That love does not wait on the other side of our fear.