The Trail of Faithfulness

How long does it take to show faithfulness? How long does it take to BE faithful? Think about those questions again ... At what point can you say someone has been faithful?

Yowsers ~ THAT is a loaded question, isn't it?!

Faithfulness is defined as, "reliable, trusted, believed; true to one's word or promise; loyal or constant." I love that last word. CONSTANT!

I was speaking to someone I hadn't seen in a while, telling them why I left public school education & started my own business, leading us into the conversation of the inevitable..."WHY home school?" (Another loaded question!) As I defended my stance & rattled off some scriptures & statistics, the conversation quickly moved onto other topics but it got me thinking about this journey we walk down on the trail of faithfulness.

Am I faithful in defending what I believe in God? Am I faithful to serving my husband each & every day? Am I a faithful daughter/sister/friend? Do I show faithfulness when I am working with my clients? Do I amplify that definition in my daily walk? In all these things, do I leave a trail of faithfulness for others to see?

So many people have noticed that I don't have children of my own, yet I am advising on how to "train up a child in the way he should go." Sometimes that stings. Mostly because that has been a period of trial for my husband & I. After 5 1/2 years of praying, waiting, tests & procedures, we continue to cling to Romans 12:12, "Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer." And now, I can finally announce that our first child is due October 1! We have learned much along this road ~ take none of it for granted ~ and will continue to give ALL the glory & honor & praise to HIM who has chosen us to be the parents of this precious child.

I digress though...(That was VERY exciting for me to write!!!! [grins, grins grins])Sometimes it stings. But mostly, it pushes me to delve deeper into God's Word to find wisdom & truth about how we should prepare ourselves for this life, and how we should prepare our children. One of the definitions of faithfulness was constant. Scripture says, "When I rise up, when I sit down, when I walk in the way..." That seems pretty clear to me at just how consistent we should be & this is also my reason for doing what I do!

As a home school parent, you have a golden opportunity to teach your child the ways in which the Lord wants us to lead our lives. You can intervene in arguments between your children, showing them how to handle conflict in a godly manner by loving & forgiving the one who has offended them. You can teach them about serving others, as you take one day each month & clean the home of an elderly church member. You can teach them the priceless gift of helping others as your older children assist your younger children with homework or difficult problems. You can teach them to love others more than themselves & when a sibling is having a rough day, they can come alongside them & pray over them, draw a picture for them, tickle them, and/or listen to them.

Just writing these things makes my heart want to explode with excitement, knowing these things can happen in so many homes!

So let me pose a few questions (and maybe a scripture that gives us guidance in regard to the answer) as we travel along this journey together...

~How does one develop a christian mind? ...Therefore, helping develop those sweet little ones watching your every move & listening to your every word & observing your every facial expression...
"Love the Lord your God with all your hear, with all your soul, and with all your mind." Mt. 22:37
"Set apart Jesus as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you." 1 Pt. 3:15

~How do I set a faithful example for my (family, children, office, friends)?
"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act." Ps. 37:3-5

~How do I continue gaining in my knowledge of Jesus Christ, therefore passing it on to my children (setting an example to a neighbor, family member, etc.)?
"Faith comes through hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ." Rom. 10:17

Being faithful is tough. Most days, I feel like the only thing I do that IS constant, is fail!!! But God calls us to stand firm in our faith. He asks us to work through our salvation. He charges us to give these battles over to Him & allow Him to work through & in our lives. He is the only One who is the true definition of faithfulness.

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation; because by Him everything was created in heaven and on earth...all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things and by Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything." Col. 1:15-18

Being faithful ~ showing faithfulness ~ is a journey. Part of the joy as we travel this journey & attempt to set an example for others is the fact that WHEN we fail, we can go to them, ask for forgiveness, & get right back up on our walk down the trail of faithfulness. Think about the power in THAT example for your little ones! And when you just. can't. go. on...Remember the One who IS faithfulness.


"If we have no faith, He will still be faithful for He cannot go against what He Is." 2 Tim. 2:13

Walking this journey of faithfulness WITH you ~

For GOODNESS sake

Goodness is a tough concept to teach, don't you think? Sure you may say to your sweet cherubs as you are leaving them for the evening, "Be good for (babysitter, grammy, etc.) so mommy & daddy will be proud of you!" Well, what parameters surround "being good?"

Good is defined as, "the state or quality of being good; moral excellence; generosity; the best part of anything." But what has your family taught your child(ren) about this word?

The bible says SOME of the following (one day you should look up the word good in your bible reference...Gracious we need to grow!):

Exodus 33 says, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

Nehemiah said, "Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them..."

2 Chronicles says, "may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness.."

Psalm 23, "Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

Psalm 69 says, "Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me."

2 Peter says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

Psalm 145 says, "They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness."

Hebrews 6 says, "who have tasted the goodness of the word of God..."

Did you notice who was good in those passages? Who was the one who IS good? Where does it come from? It is not something WE do; Rather it is something God cultivates in us, when we are His child. It's kind of like forgiveness...You aren't really the one forgiving...God's faithfulness to forgive you, allows you to invite forgiveness into your own heart, therefore forgiving those who sin against you. It's not YOU but the Lord. It's the same thing with goodness.

Being "good" can then mean honoring your Father with those things He has provided to you, showing His goodness in your life.

~Maybe He gave your arms & legs...Can you serve Him out of the goodness of His provision?
~Perhaps He provided you with a compassionate heart, filled with a listening ear...Can you listen out of the goodness He poured into you?
~Did He listen to your prayer request? Can you proclaim His goodness for hearing even you?

And for your sweet babies growing in the Lord...
~Did the Lord give them an extra portion of sharing EVERYTHING? Support them by telling them the stories in the bible of where God shared...His love, His forgiveness, His compassion, His mercy...His Son!
~Does your precious lamb struggle with "being good?" Can I challenge you to speak gently to them throughout the day when they need reminding of this? Write down the scriptures above or search on your own. Read about God's goodness everytime they need a reminder. Remember, it's a race to finish strong...Not just to finish!

The Lord IS GOOD! His goodness has shown itself real in my life ~yet again~ this very week. Funny that as I began praying what to write regarding goodness, He starts my thought process by showing His goodness in my life for a solid 4 days ~ EVERYWHERE! Need we a reminder of just how good God is...Look around & ask yourself ~ What do I see that is good, from the Lord. Find ONE thing...and now honor your Father by praising Him for His goodness. He will begin revealing all of His goodness if you allow your mind to focus on HIM.

So thankful for His goodness each & every day ~