A couple weeks
ago, I had the privilege of leading the congregation I attend in singing Great Is Thy Faithfulness, a song which
is arguably one of the great hymns of the faith. Its lyrics give us a glimpse
into some of the myriad ways in which God is faithful, enabling us to grasp
nuggets of that amazing truth. But Scripture tells us that faithfulness is also
a fruit of the Spirit in our lives,
which means we actually have a real ability from the Lord to choose to exhibit –
with our children and others – some of the same qualities that exemplify God’s
faithfulness. Ponder some of the song’s phrases, thinking about how these ideas
might apply in human relationships, particularly with our children:
There is no
shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest
not
Thy
compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast
been Thou forever wilt be
Morning by
morning new mercies I see
All I have needed
Thy hand hath provided
Pardon for sin
A peace that
endureth
Thine own dear
presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for
today
Bright hope
for tomorrow
And according
to Dictionary.com, faithfulness can be described – among other things – as a
thorough performance of one’s duty; being true to one’s promises; reliability;
steadiness; loyalty; constancy; devotion. Of course, that’s a very tall order,
one that only the Lord can fulfill perfectly. But, as with other aspects of the
Spirit’s fruit, we too often discount it entirely, choosing immaturity – “I can’t do this all the time so I won’t
even try,” or “I don’t want to be
calm and steady; that’s boring!” – over the effort it takes to decide to
walk in the Spirit. It’s not that we’re incapable because, if we know Christ as
Savior, the Spirit resides within us. But we often choose to toss aside what He
offers – abilities to maintain a steady presence in our children’s daily lives,
to show mercy, to forgive their sins – in favor of satisfying our own desires
for self-indulgence, anger, and bitterness.
But like it or
not, our children’s view of God is built of the foundation of what they see in
us. Thus, if they know they can come to us no matter what, they’ll realize they
can go to God. If they understand that we’ll provide loving correction and then
a clean slate, they’ll realize that God guides and redirects as needed without
holding a record of wrongs. If they cannot doubt our devotion to being present
for them, they’ll realize God is constant.
In order to
make such ideas more practical, try this: Choose one phrase from Great Is Thy
Faithfulness and copy it into your journal. Brainstorm concrete ways you might
demonstrate that quality to your children, adding to the list over the course
of a week while also purposing to do what you’ve jotted down. After several
days, choose another phrase and repeat the process. Over time, demonstrating
faithfulness to your children will become more and more natural. And in the
process, you’ll be allowing God to use you to point them more and more toward
Him.
*****
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