Faithful

 What a year 2020 was…

Well 2021 has started out much better for Americans, has it?

I think the entire world, though, has been ready to hit reset going into 2021.

If I may though, let’s go back to 2020 for a quick second.  I started 2020 picking a new word - sequoia.  If you followed this blog’s social media pages, you know that I was constantly reminding myself of that word on my posts. There were 3 phrases around sequoia I wanted to keep at the forefront of my mind in 2020:

     -- It’s established.

     -- It has many branches and far-reaching roots.

     -- It has grown tall and covered much ground.

I didn’t want to live in 2020 (or life) as a seedling, but as a tree that has already grown and is maturing.

There was something really powerful as I left behind 2020 and walked into 2021 with the second point.  I felt like I was strongly rooted - in the Word, in my faith, in God, and in my identity - and because of that I felt like my branches (my influence, relationships, things I say/do, etc.) were maturing.

As I walked into 2021 - more like sprinted to the finish line to get the heck out of 2020 - I realized there was one word that summarized what I wanted all of these branches to represent.

Faithful.

It sounded like a really good word - doesn’t it?  I was really proud of it.  *high fives herself off screen*

But then I realized, I get conceptually what faithfulness is, but that I really don’t know, know what it means.  So I wrote this exact sentence in my journal as I thought of this word:

God is faithful so - let’s look at Him to understand “faithfulness.”

So I did just that - brace yourself for this (all emphasis mine):

     -- Psalm 119:90 - Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created.

     -- 1 Thessalonians 5:24 - Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

     -- Romans 3:3-4 (MSG) - ...Do you know their [unbelievers] faithlessness cancels out his faithfulness? Not on your life!  Depend on it: God keeps his word even when the whole world is lything through its teeth.

     -- Romans 3:3-4 (NIV) - What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true…

     -- 2 Thessalonians 3:3 - But the Lord is faithful; he will make you strong and guard you from the evil one.

     -- 2 Timothy 2:13 - If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

     -- Psalm 105:8 - He always stands by his covenant…

     -- Psalm 36:5 - Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

     -- Psalm 33:4 - For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

     -- Deuteronomy 32:4 - He is the Rock; his work is perfect. Everything he does is just and fair.  He is the faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!

     -- 1 Corinthians 1:9 - God will surely do this for you, for he always does just what he says, and he is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

     -- Deuteronomy 7:9 - Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

     -- Lamentations 3:23 - Great is faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.

I know - that’s a lot of information to digest.  So let me break it down for you like I had to for myself.  From all of these verses, I understand the characteristics of faithfulness to be:

     -- enduring

     -- truthful

     -- staying true, even if the world is doing something else

     -- bringing strength

     -- armor

     -- true to self

     -- loyal

     -- extending beyond self

     -- for everything

     -- just/fair

     -- doing right

     -- keeping promises

     -- a friend

     -- LOVE

     -- great

     -- new each day

Now that I know what faithfulness is from the one who is Faithfulness itself. I looked at areas of my life and how I want to apply this to these areas.  Here are some of those “branches” of my sequoia:

     -- my spiritual health - How am I being faithful to God? Am I digging into the Word DAILY? Am I investing in my relationship with Jesus each day?

     -- my mental health - Am I pouring from an empty pitcher or am I taking the time to refill myself?

     -- my physical health - Am I making wise food choices or bouncing back from a not-as-nutritious day? Am I drinking enough water? Am I moving every day - whether a workout, stretching, or walking? Am I getting enough sleep?

     -- my relationships - Am I investing my time where it matters most?  Am I being intentional? Am I being present?

     -- my dreams and desires - What things bring me joy? Have my dreams gone on the back burner? Am I pursuing the things I’m passionate about?

     -- my identity - Am I being true to myself? Am I living in my True self - who God has called me to be?

These are tough questions to look in the mirror and ask each day - yet alone answer.  But I know that the fruit of those branches are the “characteristics” of faithfulness.

Read that again...the fruit of those branches are the “characteristics” of faithfulness.

I’d love to leave 2020 in 2020 as much as the next person.  But I see that the maturity of the sequoia of 2020 growing broader branches and now, in 2021, bearing fruit.