When Faithfulness is not Famous
Well, friend, it’s great to have you stop in today. So, come on up to this ol’ front porch and grab yourself a chair that don’t git to wobblin’ like a lil’ ol’ calf tryin’ to figure out how to square dance. Our world has plum gotten itself more twisted up than a fishin’ line wrapped around a cedar branch. Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.” You know, folks tend to applaud the loudest man in the room, the one struttin’ like a proud lil’ ol’ rooster that thinks he personally turned on the sun’s bright light, and he can turn it off at will, too. But attention and influence are plum not the same thing. The world counts all the followers. God weighs real faithfulness.
When Samuel went to Jesse’s house in 1 Samuel 16:7, he saw Eliab and thought he’d done found Israel’s next king. Eliab looked real impressive, probably struttin’ in like an ol’ prize bull at the county fair. But God was lookin’ at David, the forgotten son out in the field tendin’ to the sheep. David wasn’t performin’ for applause. He was plum learnin courage, trust, and obedience right where nobody was clappin’. God often shapes His servants in real quiet, out-of-the-way places.
Then there’s Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. Scripture never records a single word Joseph ever spoke, yet his life preached a whole sermon. When Joseph learned Mary was expectin’, Matthew 1:19 says he was a just man who chose mercy instead of disgrace. When the angel told him to take Mary as his wife, he obeyed. When God warned him to flee to Egypt, Joseph got up in the night and moved his family. No committee meetin’. No delay. Just plain obedience.
Joseph’s faithfulness wasn’t flashy, but heaven plum trusted him with something real holy.
Some of the finest men I’ve ever known will never be celebrities. They don’t enter a room with trumpets blarin’ and squirrels tossin’ rose petals. They simply love their wives, raise their children, keep their promises, pray when nobody hears, and show up when showin’ up is mighty hard. Proverbs 20:7 says, “The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.” Integrity travels through generations, and so does faith.
Malachi 3:16 tells us God writes down the quiet acts of those who fear Him. He sees the whispered prayer, the resisted temptation, the kept promise, the tired father readin’ one more bedtime story, and the husband choosin’ gentleness when irritation pecks at him like a lil’ ol’ woodpecker tryin’ to do his work on a tin roof.
Jesus didn’t say, “Well done, good and famous servant.” In Matthew 25:21, He said, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Father, help us desire faithfulness more than recognition. Teach us to love well, keep our promises, admit our failures, and obey You when nobody applauds. May our legacy point the next generation toward You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
So, friend, when you make your way away from here today, keep this real truth tucked really deep inside the depths of your soul. Don’t you ever be frettin’ if the world never puts your name up in lights. All them lil’ fireflies out there get plenty of attention, but it’s the sturdy ol’ oak tree that provides shelter across several generations. Applause plum disappears faster than a lil’ ol’ cottontail rabbit dartin’ through a blackberry patch, but faithfulness sho’-nuff’ keeps right on speakin’ long after the porch light fades out. What kind of legacy are you leaving behind?
With joy,
Gwen
