What Counts and is Worth Doing

In Galatians 5:6, Paul writes “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” This line is a great way to ground and re-center us. Lives of faith look very different from person to person, but I love this point. What matters is how we express our faith. If we can express our faith in love, we are in a good place to love our neighbors as we were commanded.

Robert Schuller poses the question, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” To live life well, we need meaningful goals. What we do matters. So, what matters? And what can we do about it? As I think about those very different lives of faith, it seems we have the desire to express our faith through love and through what we love.

I often think about my heart’s cry. To live life well and to serve others. My way of living and serving is through making connections. Teaching, coaching, chaplaincy, and writing. This is something that cries out to me. When I am in these roles, I lose myself. I often struggle, but it is where I find my deepest joy. This is my treasure and my gift: to share this life together with my neighbors.

Brené Brown offers us a follow up question, “What’s worth doing even if I fail?” I love this question, because it is not conditional. What matters most is what’s worth doing. Rich Mullins has a song, the Other Side of the World, on his album, Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth. This song begins with kids singing a beautiful song in their native Thai. The translation encourages us to "Pray to God, until you find peace; Pray to God, until you find peace; I invite you to come, I invite you to come and try Him and see, please come try Him and see; Pray to God, until you find peace." With the Wonder is another song from this same album. In it, Rich demonstrates profound spiritual awareness and shares a simple truth. “You filled this world wonders, and I’m filled with the wonder of Your world.”

I am in awe and wonder of life; I am grateful for a life of faith and for this more than enough-ness that inspires me to do what’s worth doing. To have a faith that expresses itself as love.