I came in the door to my usual greeting: our 95-pound Rottie bounded over to lick my hand. Suddenly her tongue stopped and her nose started.  She sniffed my hand, my clothes, and even my face as I stooped to pet her.

She looked at me, almost in disbelief. Then she turned her back on me!

I walked around her talking sweetly, but she avoided my gaze.

She smells the therapy dog from work on me!

She was offended, hurt, and sad. She laid down in the next room with her chin on her paw. She thought I was unfaithful to her.

Is faithful a word that can honestly describe many of us? 

Maybe it’s the small things. Are we faithful to the same store? The same bank? The same restaurant? 

Relationships are even harder. Are you faithful in keeping confidences? Faithful to playing with only your pet? Faithful to your significant other in thought as well as deed?

I think nothing of hitting a different store when I’ll spend less, or trying a new restaurant when it’s open.

I love my sweet dog immensely, but I still enjoy a cuddle with the therapy dog at work.

How about in spiritual relationships? How easy is it to “have no other gods before Him”?

Faithfulness is defined as loyal, constant, reliable, trusted, believed.

Humanity is not renowned for fidelity in faith.

In Revelation 2:13, John wrote “You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city.”

Our faithfulness will be acknowledged, especially through and after hardships. Who will acknowledge our faithfulness? Don’t be looking for kudos from our culture. But the One whose word means more than anything does see,

does know, and 

does acknowledge.

It can be challenging to stay the course of faithfulness, especially in faith. When it gets difficult, when we feel hurt beyond anything we’ve ever known, and when bailing would be oh, so much easier.

When well-meaning friends and family suggest throwing in the towel. 

What does God promise? “A faithful person will be richly blessed”. Proverbs 28:20a. But sometimes those blessings seem to take their sweet time in coming.

But they do come.

The promise in Romans 8:28 is that all things work together for the good of he who believes. All things. Even the hard.

The difficult.

The things I wish hadn’t happened.

Each one will, in time, be redeemed.

Faithfulness is a gift of the Spirit.  As we draw closer to God, His Holy Spirit pours out into us different gifts, including faithfulness. Let’s ask Him to do just that.

Prayer: Dear Lord, please help me with fidelity to You. Grow my faithfulness. Help me to lean into You and trust You to provide what I need. Thank You for the gifts of the Spirit. In Jesus’s name, Amen.