The room hung heavy with unspoken words and grief. This day, a couple sat on the couch in my office processing a myriad of disappointments and life stressors that seemed as if they would never let up. Just that week, another life interruption had occurred, throwing them both for a curve ball… as if they needed one more obstacle to have to navigate. These people needed relief. They needed answers. They needed hope.
Instead of giving them these things, which was outside of my control, I listened, offering support. Sometimes, there just aren’t adequate words that will bring justice to a situation. Nothing I could say would magically lighten their burden or bring immediate hope. No, these two people had seen their fair share of unbelievably difficult life experiences and would see through any meaningless platitudes I could offer.
As we each processed our thoughts in silence, suddenly he spoke aloud. I expected him to say how unfair life was, or how he just needed relief. Instead, his words floored me.
“I just want to be faithful to what God has called us to,” he said.
Through tears, through heartbreak, through hardship, he just wanted to be faithful.
Those words spoke volumes to me.
It’s easy to imagine being faithful. Commitment seems simple until one counts the cost of all that may come with faithfulness: endurance, persistence, loyalty, caretaking, loving when sometimes not receiving anything in return.
Under these circumstances, faithfulness requires courage and grit.
When I contemplate faithfulness, I think of a woman I look up to who has been caring for her husband with dementia for over a decade. Slowly, her life has gotten smaller and smaller as his abilities have rapidly depleted. Still, she plods on, not denying the difficulty, but asking for prayer and continuing faithfully to care for her husband, day in and day out.
Perhaps, this is why faithfulness is listed as one of the fruit of the Spirit:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23b
The level of faithfulness required in the examples above cannot come from human emotion or grit. No level of good intentions can carry us across the finish line of decades of caretaking. No, the things God calls us to, that require that level of faithfulness, require his Spirit to intervene in our hearts and our lives. He alone can give us the vision and endurance to continue the race set before us.
In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, faithfulness is defined this way:
- steadfast in affection or allegiance, loyal
- firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty, conscientious
- given with strong assurance, binding
- true to the facts, to a standard, to an original
- full of faith
The words that stand out to me from this list are steadfast, firm in adherence to promises, assurance, and faith. It sounds a lot like God’s demeanor towards us. He never leaves us, loves steadfastly, and keeps His promises. We can count on His faithfulness.
As a human, however, remaining faithful doesn’t mean we won’t have struggles. I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that there may be a lot of difficult experiences and big emotions along the journey. Faithfulness may and often does require support. It may also bring with it raw honesty, frustration, and even tears.
Sometimes I think we believe that if we feel weak, sad, angry, or even hopeless, that we’re not being faithful after all.
Far from it! Jesus is called the Man of Sorrows, and he was and is faithful to the end. He walked a lonely and difficult road to complete the faithful mission His Father gave Him. He asked His Father for another way if possible.
And He cried.
He also finished well.
Walking the narrow path is an exercise in faithfulness. We are building endurance muscles and becoming more attuned to the Spirit’s companionship along the way. He is refining us and we will come out on the other side radiant.
So, in your current situation, what does faithfulness look like? How is God calling you to practice this gift of His Spirit? It might be in a small thing, or it may be in an overwhelming task that He has laid before you. Either way, don’t go it alone. Seek His help (and the support of other faithful people in your life), so you can finish the race set before you.
May you be encouraged on your journey with Jesus.