It’s one thing to witness love and faithfulness growing up. It’s a completely different thing to engage in it and yet isn’t that what life has been pointing to all along?
Exploring faithfulness often brings up the question of cheating. I remember a friend sharing something profound with me about cheating vs faithfulness. The phrase often used is that someone is ‘cheating on me’. That is with reference to someone engaging in an illicit relationship with someone else. Many would agree that this is a blatant act of being unfaithful. My friend pointed out, however, that being unfaithful is not just about cheating on the other person, it can simply be cheating the other person by not giving them the devotion and attention the relationship deserves. Being self-absorbed, then, is an act of being unfaithful, because the investment that should be with the other person is not being given to them, you cheating them, even if you are not cheating on them.
Being faithful, then, is about consistently investing into the relationship exclusively what belongs to that relationship – not giving it to anyone or anything else. That’s why God knows we would struggle with being faithful. After all, we can hardly be faithful to Him, how much more will we struggle in earthly relationships. We are with one person, but our attention is elsewhere and our approach can be skewed by various influences that say much about pleasing yourself, but little about the character and qualities needed to persevere in being faithful to the other person.
Thank God that He hasn’t left us alone to muddle our way through and accept a litany of broken relationships as the acceptable norm. Thank God that in His persistent and consistent expression of love to humanity, He provides pictures of faithfulness for us to see and follow. Thank God that He highlights just how wonderful a life of faithfulness is and how it surpasses the alternatives offered.
That gives the promise that whatever has happened in the past, today, by having faith in the faithful one we can learn how to cherish and practice faithfulness. In that us love for the other expressed for the long term.
In that way we too can leave a legacy of faithfulness for those who follow.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 