I took a few minutes this morning to just sit and watch the sun rise. And this is what I heard: "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5) Now both of those words, "faith" and "love", need an object. Although the world tries to tell us differently, you don't just "have faith," you "have faith in..." whatever it might be, there is somewhere you are placing your trust even if you try to assert that it is just a warm fuzzy feeling of peace. The same with love; you love something, you don't just have love in a general, overarching sense of fondness for the whole world, unless maybe you've had too much alcohol, or in my case coffee.

I'm having a hard time loving someone. And it's because I'm afraid; I'm lacking faith and trust. And so this verse caught my eye as I wondered "faith in what and love for whom?"

Seeing as how this is the Bible, I'm going to hazard a guess that it's faith in God. So then the love could be back towards God or to other people. In my particular case the implications are the same: Love for this person will look like me doing "the good I know I ought to do." Or Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey my commands" which will also look like me doing "the good I know I ought to do," in obedience to Christ.

So, Paul is saying that the only thing that counts is that my trust in a God who is completely in control translates to me being able to love completely, according to the needs of the other, without fear of the future or my own vulnerability. You see, I like to come up with plans, slogans, habits, whatever, that might help the relationship out but the pivotal question really is "is this acting in a love that springs from a place of trust in my Savior?" All too often the answer is no.

But is says here that is all that really matters. Granted the context, Paul is saying compared to circumcision, that is the keeping of the law, only this faith into love lifestyle is going to show you are in Christ. But Jesus said the same thing didn't he? "Love the Lord your God....and love your neighbor as yourself...all the law and the prophets hangs on this."

In the raising of my kids; the daily parenting questions that keep me awake at night as I fight the guilt of "am I doing this right?" The answer is "all that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Homeschooling or not. Vaccinations or not. Organic food or not. The rod or not. Emily Post's manners or NOT. How about just to the level of allowing of the word "Butt" or not. The question it comes back to is "am I being an example of faith in God expressing itself through love to Him and those around me?" The rest is just details.

In all my interactions with others: family, neighbors, spouse, friends. I am called to act in love from a place of deep trust in my heavenly Father. Easier typed than done. But I do enjoy the simplicity of the calling.