Are you a faithful person? Oct. 2020
Before either you or I answer, let’s look at the definition of ‘faithful’. According to Cambridge Dictionary:
“faithful- adjective- firm and not changing in your friendship with or support for a person or an organization, or in your belief in your principles”.
I have been thinking of faithfulness in-depth over the past weeks for several reasons.
First, today is the first anniversary of my husband, Sam’s, eternal birthday. We were married for 25 years. The first 15 were hard years as we were both type A’s; selfish; had wounds that we brought into our marriage; and chemical imbalances that manifested differently in each of us. We separated three times during those years but due to the commitment we had made before God, we would return to one another. Our brokenness and sin did not allow us to be successful obviously if we separated again and again. It was only due to our faith in Jesus that we continued to work to heal our marriage through counseling and medical intervention while seeking spiritual healing as well. It was a long, arduous road but with the strong character that we both had, we neither wanted to quit or whenever one of us did, the other would not. The presence of the Triune God in our marriage and in our hearts finally healed us individually and corporately.
“25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless…” Psalm 18:25 (NIV)
Sam and I remained faithful to one another despite the anguish and the desires and threats to quit. Who was more faithful? Our Heavenly Father, our Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit!
“9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:9 N (NIV)
After healing our marriage, God placed a calling on our lives as ‘old’, retired seniors to become missionaries to Honduras and build a home for neglected, abused and/or orphaned children. Such a CRAZY idea! Truly preposterous! But due to our love for Jesus, our faithfulness to our beliefs, we sold our home and came to Honduras in January 2013 to start from scratch something we knew little about.
“10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” Peter 4:9-11 (NIV
We had the gift of faith, financial resources due to Sam’s 48-year career, and little else. Step by step God provided all we lacked in every area: a Board of Directors, US 501c3 status, language, construction, installation of electricity and a well, legal status as a non-government agency, prayer warriors, financial supporters, safety in the midst of an attempted Honduran coup, and so much more! Provision after provision.
In August of 2015, Tranquilidad Home for Children was dedicated. Our vision was for the children to be raised in foster families but we received 5 children within 11 days, thus we had to hire staff to assist in caring for them. Our home was more of an institution style due to need but not our desire. We proceeded day-by-day but continued to ask God to send us help to develop a Family Care Program. I prayed, “ Lord, I don’t care if they are African, Honduran or French Canadian, just please send us help.”
God is so humorous as He called the Cliché family, French Canadians, to serve with us in May 2018. They settled and in and began to develop our Family Care program and we began building homes here on site. In November of 2019, the first of our nine children moved into foster care. No one but God would have known or dreamed that within the next 11 months, He would provide us the families and the homes for all of our children to be placed in foster care with parents and siblings, extended families!
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has come to almost a ‘stop’. Here at Tranquilidad, God has faithfully provided three families, three houses, and now the creation of 3 foster families who are creating homes full of Christian love and care for our 9 children!
"23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)
When I consider the legacy that my husband left, it is with great joy that I celebrate his life and his resurrection! I believe that a year ago, he indeed heard, “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!” Matthew 25:21a (NIV)
As I have lived for the first time in my life alone, I seek to: “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.’ 1 Samuel 12:24 (NIV)
I pray daily for the strength to continue on this path to which He has called me begging Him:
“11 Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.” Psalm 86:11 NIV
At 62, my flesh would like to rest, live in the US, meet friends for lunch (once restaurants open), worship, meet for Bible study, and serve where needed. But THAT right there is the catch: where am I needed? God called Sam and me to Quimistan. He then asked me would I be willing to live out the rest of my life here. I struggled but eventually said, “Yes, if that is what you require of me.” So until He releases me, regardless of what my flesh desires, I will seek to be faithful to His call one day at a time. The truth is: “They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” Revelation 17:14 (NIV)
My heart’s desire is to be considered faithful to my belief in Christ and His principles. To Him is all the glory! Amen y amen!
Roxanne