2017 is officially here. Trump is no longer the President-Elect. The nitty-gritty of normal life rhythms has resumed. For many, resolutions have perhaps begun to wane or may even feel like a faint memory. But now is the most important time to dig in, reflect and remember what you want for the year ahead.
The word that Bekah and I keep coming back to for 2017 is “faithful.” We are sensing an invitation to dig into what a faithful life really looks like for us. How do we live a faithful life today, now, in the little everyday mundane moments? There is a lot of encouragement these days to “live our best lives,” and we are certainly not opposed to the idea that we have been given great potential as humans. God has unique purpose for our lives, and there is a deep satisfaction that comes with knowing who we are and actually living out of this knowledge. But, it seems we are being misled if the pursuit of “our best lives” doesn’t include radical faithfulness. A truly good life is a meaningful life, and often times the most meaningful experiences are the hard experiences-- the times when the going got tough, and we chose to be faithful.
Faithfulness is hard and it insinuates struggle. It is about being faithful to the gifts God has given you, faithful to your loved ones and your community, faithful to what you have, faithful to a place. Below are a few questions that I am asking myself:
“-What gifts do I possess that I am not leveraging for the benefit of others? What am I afraid of?
-What does faithfulness look like in my marriage, to my kids, to my close friends? What do they expect of me and am I open to their feedback?
-How is my relationship with technological devices impacting my above relationships?
-Am I living within my means? What does faithfulness look like with my finances and the resources that I have?
-What are the physical places in my life where I find myself? What does it look like to be faithful to my neighbors, to my workplace, my faith community and to the places I frequent?”
Faithfulness is not sexy. And, it’s not quick. Faithfulness is made up of a million tiny moments that lead to a rich and meaningful life.