Fruits of the Spirit | Faithfulness

Faithfulness is a firm conviction that God is at work in our lives, regardless of our circumstances and what we can observe taking place. It requires a measure of trust and commitment and even courage to be like my favorite Netflix character, Ted Lasso, and simple “Believe.” And faith grows through life experiences.

Steadfast loyalty and unwavering trust are important virtues for personal and spiritual growth. I’d like to say that my own faithfulness is unwavering, but the truth is that I am a constant work in progress. The good thing it is a process that I’m working on every day. Even on those days when everything seems to be going wrong.

My favorite “real life” story of faithfulness took place on national television this past spring. The world seemed to come to a sudden stop and people dropped to their knees in prayer for days after we saw Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffer cardiac arrest and collapse on the field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. His remarkable recovery following thousands of people praying every day is one of my favorite examples of God’s faithfulness. While I can’t begin to imagine how Damar has processed his experience, I can say that my personal prayers were answered as were thousands of other people’s prayers. And my faith in God and in mankind was strengthened through Damar. God used him to make us all STOP and pay attention. And show us that faith in action and prayers work.

Faithfulness can be described as a solid devotion to God, being loyal to friends, and even being dependable to carry out our responsibilities in life. Having a thankful and trusting attitude (faithful) helps me to see things through God’s perspective… bringing me hope and peace, even in the middle of life’s storms. In fact, the more I increase my thankfulness and my trust in God, the better my life becomes. And the easier it is for me to be faithful in the journey I know God has set out for me. Along the way, God has used many people throughout my life to display this fruit of the Spirit, allowing me to see Him at work and helping me to grow. Recently, I think God may be working “overtime” as he has used two of my closest lifelong friends, Hyland and Jeffery Camp, to show me and others the true meaning of “faithfulness.”

Hyland and Jeffery are two of my favorite people to hang around with. We constantly laugh together. Like most couples, they banter back and forth and being their close friend, I get to sit on the the sidelines being entertained by it all. The three of us have talked about our faith and about the common bond that has held us together through the years, especially over the past 15 years. We are sort of like Jesus’s disciples, trying to live close to God….knowing we are certainly far from perfect. Yet it’s our faith in God, in good times and in bad times that has bound us so close together. We’ve shared hours upon hours riding across the lake or sitting on our porches or balconies laughing and enjoying our blessings in life. We’ve texted one another out of the blue (occasionally at 5am, haha…) to call out “Indianola,” our favorite phrase coined by another dear friend, in which we recognize something wonderful and amazing that God is or has done in our lives. We’ve crossed our fingers and held our breaths as our favorite football teams (Roll Tide!) pull out final second wins, leading us to high fives and victory dances; or sometimes we’ve been left sitting in quiet disbelief that we actually lost. God has used us to navigate more important life losses as well. We have literally been sitting together having fun when we received shocking phone calls about the loss of parents and closest loved ones. In hindsight we know that God already knew what was going to happen and made sure we were with one another to support each other in that journey, with faithfulness. Yes, I’m very proud to call Hyland and Jeffery part of my “familee” because of the many ways they each have lived out their faithfulness in God. They have served “behind the scenes” as servants of God, not drawing attention to themselves. 

In Colossians 2:2, Paul says that his goal for God’s people in Colossae and Laodicea is “that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, knowing the mystery of God, through Christ…”  Wow, to be “encouraged in heart and united in love.” What an awesome goal!  And then I’m reminded of Hyland and Jeffery.  As I am writing this post, they are facing the greatest challenge of their lives. Jeffery has been gracefully living with leukemia for years. Recently his body has been in a battle against things his immune system can’t handle. He has truly been in a battle for his life. And Hyland has been a faithful servant and fearless warrior, ensuring that anything and everything possible happens to keep him safe. But the most beautiful part of this journey has been how I’ve watched Jeffery for years make sure that I know how strong his faith is…and how much he loves me. Multiple times. And he’s done that with Alyssa Lee too. He’s a huge blessing in our lives, as well as those around him…every single day. He’s a man who never shies away from sharing his faith and showing his love. He knows that God has his arms wrapped around him, protecting him every step of this journey.

I think Jeffery and God are much like a puppy and his master. Loyal and protective of each other. That’s why I think this picture of Jeffery and Campy speaks volumes. And Hyland is not sitting still in her witnessing. Every day she sends out texts to family and close friends with updates on Jeffery’s health. She also includes messages about the love of God, the faithfulness of knowing that he is standing with them in the storm. They are not in the boat alone, their Lord and Savior travels with them.

In John 16:33 we are told that in the world we will have trouble, but in Christ we have peace. And we are encouraged to take heart and remember that Christ has overcome the world. Hyland knows this. She reminds us of this every day in her text messages. She and Jeffery are sure that God is with them through the storm and she reminds us of this too. This is faithfulness in action my friends. And they are teaching my daughter, Alyssa Lee, as well as their own children, Carly and Carson, by example along the way.

Proverbs 3:3 says let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. My two dear friends are doing this every day. They are two of the best examples of faithfulness that I can share with you. They inspire me to draw on my faithfulness. And so I’m curious now. Who inspires you along your faith-filled walk? Who has written something on the tablet of your heart? If you don’t know right off the bat, take a few minutes to think about that.

Better yet, ask God.

I promise he has someone out there to help you “redo your canoe” along this journey. And trust that like Jesus’s disciples, we are not in the boat alone.