Faithfulness

The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, FAITHFULNESS, gentleness and self control...

Galatian 5:22

Last Tuesday, I told you all I'd write about my time at MOPS, and what I took from it! Well, I'm finally getting around to it. I just couldn't get the words to come out how I intended them to, so I'm hoping it all makes sense this time!!! Sorry...no cute, funny stories about Kallen...just some random and not so random thoughts I've been pondering over the last week!

So obviously we talked about faithfulness, and it was a discussion that I really needed to be a part of...thank you once again Lord for coaxing me into going! I've always thought of faith, and faithfulness as a religious thing. I don't know why...it's just that every time I heard the word faith, I would immediately think of Jesus! Well this meeting was an eye opener to what the term Faithfulness really pertains to!

The Websters Dictionary defines Faithful as 1. Steady in allegiance or affection; loyal. 2. Reliable or believable. 3. True to fact, a standard or an original. 4. Thorough in performance or duty.

The Websters Thesaurus uses: Constant & Loyal to help define Faithful.

Faithful implies enduring fidelity to what one is bound to by a pledge, duty or obligation "a faithful friend".

Constant suggests lack of change in affections or loyalties "a constant companion through thick and thin".

Loyal implies firm support and defense of a person, cause, institution, or idea considered to be worthy "a loyal citizen".

Well, the speaker at MOPS challenged us all to look at our lives and determine if we were women who showed faithfulness in ALL aspects of our lives. We talked about how it's easy to be faithful to something material that can't acknowledge or devotion, but sometimes hard to be that way toward people! Such as a person may faithfully watch their TV shows during the week...stopping at nothing to be home in time or to think enough in advance to record the program if they're not going to be around...But not thinking twice when we forget to call someone who was relying on us to keep our word. Ouch...how often does that happen?

This speaker made us stop and think about our friends, families, husbands and kids...would they consider us a faithful person? Is that a term they would use to describe me?

Being a faithful and loyal servant to God is an easy YES for me! I honestly believe that if faced with the same situation as Cassie Bernall (the Columbine victim who when asked by her killers if she believed in God, proudly said YES) I too, would say the same thing! That is the kind of faithfulness that I want to show in ALL aspects of my life. In Galatians, the Lord calls us to live by the spirit, and he's not just talking about living by the spirit when he's involved...but truly living our life by the fruit of the spirit!

That means, if Kevin asks me to make a phone call, or take care of something for him, and I tell him I will, then I better follow through with my word. If I tell Kallen I'll take him to the park the next time it gets sunny...then off to the park we must go!

Another realization for me, was that I'm a pleaser...I tend to say yes all the time, and rarely tell people "no" I can't do something. Well, I'm not really being a faithful person if I agree to do something because I don't want to hurt someones feelings, but then I back out at the last minute, or forget!

Bottom line: I want to posses faithfulness ALL the time, and in ALL aspects of my life! The picture below is of a small start of Rosemary that we planted last Tuesday at MOPS. The hope is that through care and cultivation, our little Rosemary starts would flurish and grow into a large bush, that we will eventually have to replant into a larger pot...Just like our faithfulness...we're starting out small (well at least I am), but hopefully soon, my faithfulness with be a huge bush!!!

I'll post pictures as my little herb grows, and hopefully she doesn't die...that would be a bad omen wouldn't it!