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A Slippery Slope

By Tom Lane

For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. —Psalm 33:4 ESV

A number of years ago, my wife, Jan, and I were leaders for a young adult ski trip in Colorado. We had about 50 young adults to watch over and care for, and we wanted to do some skiing as well. It never occurred to me to consider which activity was the higher priority. My default attitude was that I could fulfill my responsibility to lead the group and, at the same time, enjoy some really great skiing. These two issues—one an opportunity and the other a responsibility—didn’t present any conflict of interest in my mind.

On the first day of the trip, we all trooped into the ski shop to pick up our rental skis and boots. It just so happened that I was one of the first to get everything on, which was great because I was ready and anxious to hit the slopes. It didn’t occur to me to stay back and fulfill my responsibility as a leader to make sure everyone else got skis and boots that properly fit. After all, they were adults! My sole focus was on the opportunity before me. As far as I was concerned, it was every man and woman for themselves, and the last one to the slopes was a rotten egg.

As Jan and I headed out to the lift, one of the leaders asked if we would wait for her so she could ski with us. We quickly agreed and said we’d wait for her at the lift. But then we waited for what seemed to be forever. I started to get impatient because she’d been right behind us, and I couldn’t imagine what was taking her so long. People were streaming into the lift line, and we were missing precious slope time! After waiting for a seeming eternity (even though it was probably only five to ten minutes), I assumed something had changed with our friend, and Jan and I joined the lift line to head up the mountain.

We made several runs down the slope and never caught up with the leader who wanted to ski with us. Later, when we came in for lunch, the leader confronted us. She was hurt and offended by our unfaithfulness to keep our word to wait and ski with her, and she wondered how we could be so casual with our commitments. She wanted an explanation for the disconnect and asked, “Aren’t you supposed to demonstrate faithfulness as a leader?”

It was difficult to stop myself from becoming defensive. I wanted to explain my reasoning, but the reality was I was wrong. This situation exposed in me an unfaithfulness to my word, and I needed to acknowledge it and repent.

That situation was a hard and embarrassing lesson, and since then, I’ve come to understand that faithfulness is one of God’s most important characteristics. The truth is, I enjoy and experience God’s faithfulness every day. Lamentations 3:22–23 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (ESV).

Being faithful means, we are steadfast in affection or allegiance and loyal as a friend. It means we are conscientious and firm in our adherence to promises and responsibilities, both at home and at work. Therefore, we live true to our promises and do not embellish the facts or ignore or defend our mistakes.

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit. In other words, the Holy Spirit’s work in our life produces faithfulness in us. Now, I had a choice on the ski trip. I could explain away my unfaithfulness as being just a minor or even trivial error or misunderstanding and then dismiss it as “not a big deal.” Or I could see it as a character flaw with big consequences impacting those I love and care for as a leader. Proverbs 20:6 describes this well; it says, “Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?” (ESV).

What areas of your life need shoring up? Faithfulness comes from a place of trust and loyalty. As a follower of Christ, it is important that we are faithful to God. It is one thing to simply believe in Him but another to be faithful to Him. And our faithfulness is expressed in the way we treat and respond to others.

If any area of your life has even a single seed of unfaithfulness, please don’t dismiss it. Instead, confess it, apologize for it, and let God develop the fruit of faithfulness in your life.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your steadfast love and faithfulness to me. I ask You to develop the fruit of Your character in me so that I might reflect Your faithfulness in all my ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For Further Reflection

1. Think about a time when God demonstrated His faithfulness to you. How did it change your circumstance or perspective?
2. Allow the Holy Spirit to remind you of any situation in which you were unfaithful to your word recently, and ask Him to show you how to make it right. This correction may involve humbling words or actions (or even both), but you will never regret being obedient to God’s voice.