Welcome to Day 7 of our Journey through “31 Days to Bless Your Family”!

Today’s theme is Faithfulness. Being faithful and keeping your promise is one of the greatest ways to Bless Your Family. It is also one of the character traits and actual practices that mirror God’s own faithfulness in keeping His Word and promises.

One of the things I liked when making the image for today’s post was the “pinky-promise” captured in the background photo. While Wikipedia refers to this modern use typically among school-age children, its origin and use around the world signify a sealed and unbreakable promise, with implied and sometimes severe consequences.

The main point here I think is that the promise is made in faith and innocence, and there is a price to make it and a price if it’s broken.

[shareable cite=”Wikipedia”]In modern times, pinky swearing is a more informal way of sealing a promise… The pinky swear signifies a promise that can never be broken.[/shareable]

[featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]

[shareable cite=”Zig Ziglar, Courtship After Marriage”]I have never known a person who was married and happy who was not 100% faithful to his or her mate.[/shareable]

Faithfulness was one of the the first things my wife prioritized when we talked about this series and how she has been blessed in our marriage. She feels secure and knows that my love is committed to her and her only. Early in our marriage one of my most treasured memories was a tender moment when my Sweet Girl looked at me and said, “so this is what this is supposed to be like”. My faithfulness and devotion to her allows us to deepen every category in this 31 Days to Bless Your Family series. It is deeply embedded in my character, and I am committed to becoming the best man possible for her.

I have actually made faithfulness one of my greatest life values since my childhood. It is close cousins with honesty and loyalty for me. Personally, I can tell you that I have never cheated, not even when “going steady” in an innocent school years relationship, or through the worst years of my first marriage which ended but not for a lack of commitment, dedication and faithfulness on my part. In the midst of all the other complicated issues that dissolved that marriage, my undying devotion was criticized solely as “duty” and everything that made “duty” even possible went unseen and was never appreciated or valued. But duty is one of the most honorable traits we credit to our greatest heroes. The reason is because in the face of everything overwhelming, or tempting, or selfish, a human person chooses to sacrifice their own interest, safety, desires, and preservation for someone else.

That’s right – every day you are faithful to your marriage and to your family you are being heroic. Heroes don’t exist because of a few super human feats. I believe that heroes exist every day in homes around the world. Every day you are present in the lives of your family, faithfully devoted to each of them, intentionally preparing for them and protecting them – each and every one of those days you are their hero. You are who they come to depend on, who they turn to for help and advice, and who they hope to be with and be more like. Faithfulness is what makes you worthy of being a role model, and that model will echo into the lives that your family touches throughout the years to come.

[shareable cite=”Zig Ziglar, Courtship After Marriage”]The best thing a parent can do for a child is to love his or her spouse.[/shareable]

Many of us don’t actually come from backgrounds where this was always modeled when we grew up. In a culture where divorce and single-parent or foster-parent homes are so prevalent how can we expect that faithfulness was modeled for millions of us? Perhaps you have had parents who were divorced, who have had different partners, and you may feel jaded that faithfulness and a thriving marriage and family are even possible, for you and for anyone. Maybe like me, you have chosen to always be faithful as a spouse and parent because of a broken home environment and you wanted something more and different. Or maybe, you have followed a model that was set for you, that culture has tempted you with, and you are needing to heal from un-faithfulness.

My encouragement to anyone, is that there can be healing and restoration for you and your family, and if there are negative influences in your family they can be dealth with, and you can begin modeling the traits you desire to have bless your family. We all have something that subtracts from our experiences and results because we are all human. And we can all start choosing more of the things that serve to begin adding and multiplying blessing to our mate and our family. Every day is a new day to be faithful, dutiful, heroic. You can do this!

[shareable cite=”Zig Ziglar, Courtship After Marriage”]’Although trust in a partner means different things to different people – dependability, loyalty, honesty, fidelity – its essence is emotional safety. While feelings of love or sexual excitement may wax and wane over time, ideally, trust is a constant. When you have trust, you have it all.’ -Caryl S. Avery[/shareable]

Today’s “Dares and Prayers” shared in the video:

• Love Dare – “Believes the Best“
• Love Dare For Parents – “not Irritable“
• Power of a Praying Husband, Pray for – “Her Submission“
• Resolution – “Man of Responsibility“
• 31 Days of Building Your Family Values, Bible App Devotions – “Love“
• Marriage – From Surviving to Thriving
• Courtship After Marriage

 

<YouTube video coming soon> 

 

---

 

Special Thanks to Kendrick Brothers Productions for their books The Love Dare, The Love Dare for Parents, and The Resolution for Men. You can check out their movies, books etc on their site. Their site recommends a local church finder at:

• TrueLife.orgwhich also links to a prayer online, chat or text site – ChatAboutJesus.com

For prayer from KLOVE Radio staff:

• Positive, Encouraging K-LOVE Radio – Submit a Prayer Request
• “You can also call [the] prayer line at 800-525-5683”

 

If today’s topic resonated with you please leave a question, or share something positive that is working for you in the comment section below.

Here’s to your family’s “purpose-filled and on-target day”!

God Bless You and Yours!