Faithful
By Karen D’Amore
“…Well done,
good and faithful servant!”
Mathew 25:21a (NIV)
On our tenth wedding anniversary, I
asked my husband the question, “So, after ten years of marriage…if you had to
choose one word to describe me, what would that one word be?” Aware of my
husband’s propensity to embellish things with humor, I knew I was asking a
loaded question! I was pleasantly surprised when he took my question to heart, and
responded in sincerity with the word…“Faithful.”
As a writer, I LOVE words; as a wife
who loves words…I loved the word my husband chose. Merriam-Webster’s defines
“faithful” accordingly:
-obsolete:
full of faith
-steadfast
in affection or allegiance: loyal
-firm
in adherence to promises of duty: conscientious
-given
with strong assurance: binding (1)
Upon reflecting on the true
definition of the word “faithful,” I felt an overwhelming sense of
responsibility to consistently uphold and exemplify its meaning, so as a constant
exhortation, I had the word “Faithful” permanently inscribed on my inner left
wrist.
A year later, I was deeply impacted
by an interview between Sean Hannity and Rev. Billy Graham. When asked, “How do
you want people to remember you?” Billy Graham responded, “I want them to
remember that I was faithful: faithful to the gospel, faithful to the call that
God gave me!” (2) Billy Graham’s response ignited and inspired the same desire
in my heart. I too, long to be “full of faith”; faithful to the gospel, and to God’s
call on my life! As honorable as it is to make faithfulness a hallmark in our
human relationships, the faithfulness that matters most is in our relationship
with God. “The eyes of the Lord search the
whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him”
(2 Chronicles 16:9, NLT).
As Christ-followers, our faithfulness
to God is demonstrated through our obedience to Him. His heart becomes our
heart; His mind our mind; His will our will. We cannot be faithful to Him…while
choosing our will over His. Jesus, our supreme example of faithfulness, had
only one desire, “…Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42b, NIV). His permanent inscriptions of His faithfulness
and obedience to the Father - - His nail scarred hands - - should become our
continual exhortation to be faithfully obedient.
Starting with faithfulness in the
little things, let’s be good stewards of our families, jobs, finances, ministries
and in that which God has entrusted us. And may our faithfulness reflect an
eternal pursuit to hear His descriptive words…
“…Well
done, good and faithful servant!”
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
What interferes with your faithfulness to God?
FURTHER
READING:
Married to Dan,
Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns
Salon and a Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility.
