Experiencing God - Faithfulness 170

"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit.  Be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that you may open the door for Him as soon as He comes and knocks."
Gospel of Luke

Jesus is saying to his disciples:  "Be Awake", Be Aware", "Be Attentive", to what is going on around you.  In this Gospel from Luke, Jesus tells His disciples a story about what it means to stay awake or to be attentive.  "You may be quite sure, if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come , he would not have let anyone break into his home." 

In telling this story, Jesus is not expressing a concern about a householder losing his personal possessions - computer, TV etc.  He is concerned about the householder losing something else, something of greater value, a treasure that sustains us in hope, in this life and the next.  It has to do with being faithful to the way of life in which we are called, a call to faithfulness.  What is faithfulness?   

To answer this question, let's move into that area of our lives where faithfulness is necessary - in our marriage. 

The main attribute of a good marriage is faithfulness.  When we think of marriage, being unfaithful will always be seen as a death to the relationship.  Therefore, unfaithfulness must be avoided at all costs. 

Faithfulness has to do with keeping ones word, keeping ones promise.  No matter how tough the situation, no matter what comes along, faithfulness requires us to remain firm in our resolve to work through the difficulties together.

Faithfulness cannot be imposed.  It is something that we must choose.  Faithfulness must be given our full attention.  And when we do give it our full attention, it has its own reward.  We all yearn for and need faithfulness in our relationships because it brings with it a quality of life, an underlining joy that is irreplaceable.  In faithfulness, we are thankful, and we celebrate life's events together. In faithfulness, we do whatever we can to make the relationship grow.  We willingly share our gifts and our resources as a sign of our faithfulness to those we love.  

“Who then is the faithful manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.  But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of." 

In telling this story, Jesus is not expressing a concern about a servant losing his personal possessions - computer, TV etc.  He is concerned about the servant losing something else, something of greater value, a treasure that sustains us in hope, in this life and the next.