Seven: Fear

"You know, I always wanted to be a dancer," she remarked as they drove past a dance studio.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, gave her a knowing smile and turned his focus back to the road in front.

"They're just so... beautiful. I never knew a body could move with such grace and dignity... their movements speak louder than any words possibly could. It's as if the very core-- the essence-- of who they are is speaking... in its own language. You know what I mean?" she asked him.

A slight nod.

Fine, she'd keep talking if he didn't feel like keeping a conversation going.

"But you know what my favorite part of dancing is? I love watching couples dance. I love watching him lead and how she follows... he could drop her or step on her or make her look like a fool, and yet she follows, always follows... And he? He treats her with such tenderness, but always with strength... It's quite beautiful..." her thoughts drifted as she imagined dancing. She couldn't honestly say she ever would ever feel that comfortable... dancing was so--

"It takes a lot of courage to push past fear when dancing," he quietly interrupted her thoughts. And yet, it wasn't really an interruption; it was more of a continuation of her thoughts... it was exactly what she was thinking: dancing is so courageous.

"Why do you fear?" he prodded. The question sank into the air. It didn't float; it just was... And though she heard the question, she couldn't help asking, "what?" He didn't bother to repeat himself because he knew, just as well as she, that she had understood perfectly.

Too perfectly.

This wasn't about dancing. It was about being courageous... with her heart. Why did she fear?

"I... uhhh... because... I don't understand love. I don't understand your love." What was she talking about? Love. The strongest force in the universe. Love. Could love conquer fear? How could she overcome fears she couldn't even pinpoint? Her thoughts came to a halt as she searched her heart.

As if on cue, the car rolled to a stop at a traffic light. He turned to face her, but she refused to meet his gaze. He placed his hand on her leg and gently called her name. When she refused to look up, Jesus simply whispered, "You're right. If you understood my love... you'd understand the power to cast out fear."

The car nudged forward and she glanced up just in time to see the green light.