A Soul Checkup – Faithfulness

The fruit of the Spirit is… faithfulness…. Galatians 5:22

Faithfulness. The word means to be trustworthy. It’s one of the hallmark descriptions of God’s character and one that is replicated in those who are allowing the Holy Spirit to conform them to the image of Christ. But what is this thing called faithfulness? And how is it developed?

In response I want to share a story that answers both of these questions.

The story is about a father’s actions during a time of great turmoil and danger. The incident happened in 1989 when a magnitude 8.2 earthquake hit an area of Armenia and shook the ground for over four minutes. Buildings swayed, buckled and then collapsed as if they were nothing more than houses of cards. By the time it was over 30,000 people were dead.

In the midst of the chaos, a distressed father ran through the winding streets of the city to the school where his son had gone earlier that morning. As he climbed over all kinds of debris on his way to the school, he couldn’t stop thinking about the promise he had made to his son countless times before, “No matter what, Armand, I’ll always be there.”

When he reached the school, the only thing he saw was a pile of rubble. Fighting back tears, he made his way to the corner of the building where he knew his son’s classroom was located. And then with nothing but his bare hands, he started to dig. He pulled away bricks and pieces of wallboard while others just looked on in disbelief.

While he was doing this, he heard one bystander comment, “Forget it mister. They’re all dead.” He looked up and responded, “You can grumble, or you can help me lift these bricks.” A few helped, but most gave up when their muscles began to ache. But he could not stop thinking about his son and his promise.

He kept digging and digging – for hours, 12 hours, 18 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours. Finally, well into the 38th hour, he heard a muffled groan from under a piece of wallboard. When he pulled it back, he saw the face of his son. And from the darkness came a shaking voice, “Papa.”

Other weak voices began calling out as the young survivors started to stir under the yet to be removed rubble. Eventually, fourteen of thirty-three students were found alive and were rescued. At one point as the students were being lifted to safety, Armand was heard talking to some of his classmates, “See, I told you my father wouldn’t forget us.”

That is a picture of faithfulness. It’s being dependable and trustworthy even under difficult circumstances. It’s being true to your word even when it would be understandable to not do so. It is how God acts toward us. He is always faithful.

This same trait is seen in those who are allowing the fruit of the Spirit to be developed in their hearts. Yet of all of the qualities we have seen, this may be the one we struggle with the most. We know ourselves and the many ways where we are less than faithful. It’s enough to cause us to wonder if we even have a connection with God. Yet the key to faithfulness is not to ramp up our willpower and be more faithful as if we could do that on our own. Instead the road to our faithfulness begins with God’s faithfulness.

Peter learned this first hand. At the Last Supper table, he promised that he would be faithful to Jesus even unto death. Yet hours later he not only abandoned Jesus in the garden, but he also vehemently denied that he even knew Jesus much less was one of his followers. So much for self-generated faithfulness.

Yet despite his unfaithfulness, Jesus remained faithful to him and later invited him to renew his love for the Lord and His people. I can only imagine what that moment must have been like for Peter. Here he was, the one who had so boldly declared his commitment to faithfulness but had failed so miserably. Yet he was on the receiving end of the unfailing faithfulness of his Lord. And it had a lasting impact on him.

Fast forward, and we see him owning his relationship with the Lord in front of some of the very same people who had orchestrated Jesus’ death. The faithfulness of God does that to a person. The more that it is understood and embraced, the more it transforms you into being a faithful person.

So if you’re struggling with your faithfulness, spend time allowing the faithfulness of God to fill your heart. When you fail, which you will, turn back to the faithfulness of God. If you will, then bit by bit, He will build a trustworthy spirit within you.