We’re back in Columbus now.  That first leg of our journey was 14,015 miles in 154 days.

Our original rules dictated that we not travel more than 100 miles per day.

Even though we abandoned those rules, our average daily driving was 91 miles.

In the van we would have had to drive 100 miles every single day, barely stopping to see anything and definitely not having time to meet anyone, to make the same distance.

We also said that we didn’t want to spend more than $33 per day.

In the car, those 14,015 miles cost about $412 (with a conservative average of 34 miles per gallon).  In the van, the same number of miles at a generous 12 miles per gallon would have cost $1,168 in gas alone.

It sucked when the van died.  It was really difficult.

But in the end it worked out well.  We abandoned our rules and instead followed our principles.  The irony is that those principles organically fulfilled our rules, but without the legalistic anxiety.

I think that our faith works in the same manner.  We could follow all of the rules: do this, don’t do that.  But when we follow the principles that Jesus set forth, like “Love your Neighbor”, we naturally find ourselves following the rules and guidelines that the apostles set down for the 1st century church.

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Please leave your thoughts below.