I Choose Love

Do you ever wonder if you are in the will of God?  With the things you find yourself doing, the decisions you have to make, the answers you have to give- how do you know you are doing the will of God?

This is a common question that people find themselves wondering, possibly throughout their entire lives, "Am I doing God's will?"  If you are one of these people with this age-old puzzle, scripture might have a simple answer for you to test all your motives and circumstances.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

(1 John 4:16)

If God is love then all love is God's will.  We will always be in God's will when we love, because God is in the love itself.  

Now sure, you are wondering how we can always love, in every situation.  This may be a little puzzling if we think of love as it is commonly thought of.  For most people, when we think of love, we think of the feeling of love- we think of a dating couple in love and of a parent's love for their child and it seems as though love is always a "good all over feeling."  However, this is not true.

Love, as Bishop Robert Baron puts it, is "Willing the good of the other."  This is the love that God is.  Yes, sometimes love manifests itself with that feeling of tenderness, but this is not all it is.  A parent feels love for their child, but they also, because of this love, are compelled to be strict with their child, disciplining their child and set limits for him or her- because they will the good of their child.  They know if they do not do this, their child will not have good character or may get hurt. 

In the same way, all of our decisions, responses or actions must reflect this very love, choosing the good of the other.  In this way, we will always be living in the will of God.

Next time you find yourself in a situation, wondering what is the right thing to do, reflect on your motives.  What is driving your decision?  Are you honestly making this choice or answer out of the desire to do good for another or is it something that you just want to do?  

God will be with you in all things as long as you keep choosing Him, choose love.

On the night before St. Therese's death, she spoke these words to her sister Celine-  "I have said everything.  Everything in accomplish.  It is love alone that counts."