In her novel, Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers uses the thin line between fear and love to define them both...and concludes that love does not only cast out fear, but has the power to eternally conquer.
Angel, a broken prostitute with a destitute past has grown to believe that women are worthless, love is nonexistent, and men are cold abusers of power. The she meets Michael.
If Angel represents fear, Michael is the definition of love. Michael believes that God called him to marry angel, and he braves obstacle after obstacle to rescue her from her brothel of slavery. Not only does he take care of her, but he vows to love her unconditionally: “I promise to love and cherish you, to honor and sustain you, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, in the bad that may darken our days, in the good that may light our way” (Rivers 285).
This kind of love is strange to Angel, and overtaken by fear, she runs. She thinks her “old” way of life is better, more comfortable, when in reality, she is ultimately disgusted by the defilement of her body. So she returns to Michael, the only warmth she has really ever felt.
Then she begins to have feelings for him, and this terrifies her more than discomfort. She runs again…four times total actually, until finally she is broken enough to accept the love Michael offers.
Sorry for the spoilers…but let’s break this down: fear was a roller coaster in Rivers’ book, moving up and down at phenomenal speeds, but eventually crashed. Love remained at a quiet, yet steady pace in the background, unchangeable, unbreakable, and indestructible.
The theme: love is eternally more powerful than fear.
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