Radically Faithful: How to Imitate God’s Heart

God is radically faithful. We spend our lives relying on the steady rotations of the earth. Each day comes with absolute regularity. Seasons pass, each bringing its colors and pleasures. For most of my life, I took these absolutes upon which I based the rhythms of my life entirely for granted. I established my plans around the days, weeks, months, and years without considering that I absolutely counted on their presence.

My entire life depended on God’s faithfulness without my awareness of it. As I moved into being a wife and a mother, so much depended on developing the ability to be faithful. And as the years spun through their revolutions, I began to realize that I could only understand how to be faithful by understanding God’s immutable and humble constancy.

The ways in which He is faithful become a guide to my growing into a person capable of loyalty, devotion, and dependability. I try to follow His example through these much smaller avenues in my life:

1: Faithfulness shows up.

Showing up means something different in everyone’s life, depending on the phase in which they find themselves. Having a baby puts the pressure on, as does having a job or getting an education. Each of these requires showing up over and over, mostly without accolades. Usually, external demands require that we show up. Stop going to work and bills won’t get paid, nor will the fridge stay full. Babies come with system alerts that are not easily ignored, though too often they are.

For me, housework is the avenue in which I struggle to imitate God’s infinite care of the world. But the sun rises every morning, and I always have air to breathe, food to eat, and people to love. So I frame my care of the house in terms of faithfulness. I have not gone to bed with dishes in the sink for five years. This isn’t a legalistic thing, or even a righteous one. It becomes an act of worship for me. God never fails to show up. So I turn up when I say I will, feed the cats on a schedule they can depend upon, and clean the kitchen. Not because I am good. Believe me, I have had some awfully flaky moments. I show up because He is there—every single time.

2: Our God is loyal (faithful).

Loyalty is a neglected trait, I think. Sexual fidelity is what people often think of, but to be steadfast involves so much more. Gossip is disloyalty. Most people have suffered betrayal at the hands of a friend or partner at some point. When I realized that God never talks to people about me behind my back, I began to move towards deeper trustworthiness. Many women I know, and quite a few men, criticize their spouses to anyone willing to listen. I get that marriage is hard. I get that sometimes one can be quite unhappy in marriage. But unless we are involved in abusive situations, our word should be our bond.

I have seen so many destroyed by gossip and backbiting. I understand why the Bible equates it with murder. And often, gossip is just a habit borne on the back of insecurity. If we focus attention on the faults of others, ours may go unnoticed. But God only has good things to say about His children. Our sins are forgotten. While the Holy Spirit may convict us of sin, He doesn’t go around informing on us. He is for us, not against us. If only churches could follow this one example of faithfulness, perhaps fellowship would be more genuine, less toxic in some places.

3: Faithfulness stands guard.

We expect our military to be on constant alert against an enemy threat. A faithful watchman doesn’t leave his post. We, too, are watchmen, keeping our eyes on our families, community, nation, and world. We are told to be reliable in prayer, even to the point of being in worship at all times. One way I do this is through a list I keep. I can’t pray over everyone every day. That would be unrealistic and take a really long time. So I keep it simple.

On Monday, I pray exclusively for my husband. Tuesday belongs to my kids. Wednesday are those who God has commended to my care for spiritual warfare and covering. Thursday I spend praying over each member of my extended family. Friday, I contend for my marriage, and Saturday belongs to my dreams and personal petitions. Sunday, I rest in His presence. God doesn’t ever stop thinking about His children. I want to imitate His care in my prayer life. I don’t pray the same way each week. Sometimes I read a prayer over each. Other days I contend in the Spirit. I wait for the Holy Spirit to guide my prayers. But standing guard is the job of every believer, just as our Father watches over us.

4: A faithful person is an honest one.

Lying is the ultimate act of infidelity. When we lie, we lie to ourselves first. We are telling ourselves that this lie won’t affect our relationship. In fact, we even convince ourselves that lying will preserve a relationship. If we lie to our spouse, we separate ourselves from them. Unity is the result of faithfulness, which is why Jesus prayed that we would be one as He and the Father are one. When we lie to others, we create division, first in our own hearts, and then between us and those receiving our lies.

We also lie to ourselves regularly through denial and dissociation. By denying the reality of our circumstances, we fundamentally betray ourselves. For years, I lied to myself to stay in an abusive marriage that was destroying my children and me. It took years for me to trust myself again. I had to be a trustworthy person to myself. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. This means that Jesus pulls us out of fantasy and our tendency towards makebelieve into reality. Every dishonest act is a betrayal of self, others, and God. Seem harsh? I disagree. The fruit of dishonesty is absolute destruction. Better pain now for a time, then the pain that never goes away.

The faithful heart of God is made evident in Scripture, but His faithfulness to me as an individual is one of the guiding principles of my life. So often, I have lingered on the brink of destruction, whether through my actions or those of others. Each time, He comes to my rescue and leads me beside still waters. When I was young, I longed for dramatic affirmations. Now I have come to appreciate humble and reliable service. My husband goes to work every day. He selflessly provides for our kids and me. I know he enjoys the small comforts I offer him. Give me a faithful husband and friend over an exciting one. And may I imitate the modest, unfailing faithfulness of a God who loves me at His own cost.

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