Questions + Faithfulness

Last weekend I got to attend part of the women’s retreat at my church. It took place near Sewanee University, which is like a tiny Hogwarts nestled into the plateau. I’ve driven around it before, but I hadn’t ever had the chance to go on campus. My dear friend was up for an adventure, so off we went to do a little exploring. We ended up in the breathtaking chapel just standing in awe of the reverence hanging in the air and the exquisite architecture.

As we soaked it all in, we both began noticing the various memorial and honorary plaques on the walls. This is a fairly common sight in historic churches, and initially I think what drew us in were the dates. In America, our history just doesn’t stretch the way that it does around the world, and so it’s fairly fascinating to find well-preserved structures from various eras, especially in this part of the country, and the 1800’s can feel as distant to us as the middle ages might to a Brit.

We began to marvel in the hallowed nature of the place as a whole and the pride these people clearly took in growing this institution, but at one point, we both stopped and stared at one in particular. Here is what his inscription read:  

“Whose secret gifts helped to build this university, and whose open friendliness helped to build the lives of men.”

We audibly gasped. What a testimony to a person’s life that this is how they are remembered. After we read that one, we began to hunt for other inscriptions. Many described their Greek affiliations, their dedications to the university or listed their professions. Then there were others that read things like: “Dauntless in every crisis of his time” // “She hath done what she could” // “Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house and the place where thine honor dwelleth.” 

It left us both pondering what these things meant, and caused us to speculate on how they may have lived. When we returned to the retreat, we sat down for another session of teaching from the book of 2 Timothy and the seed planted from that experience began to blossom with further evaluative questions like these: “What has your suffering reflected about the Gospel of Christ?” // “How do your words to people reflect your faithfulness or faithlessness to the Word of God?” 

As I process these pieces of one very full day, I’m left in a deep well of self-reflection.  

Those people with inscriptions in stone faced decisions like you and I do every day. Their lives were poured out into things that could be inscribed with affection, ripe with meaning and encouragement for future generations, or they could be just a name on a wall. Ultimately, it’s not about the inscription at all, but about their surrender to the Lord. There are MILLIONS of people who have passed through this earth and we know nothing about them, but their faithfulness to God and to living a life surrendered to Him carries on in the hearts of those who walked with them, and were impacted by what they decided to do with their words, their everyday faithfulness and their suffering.

We are surrounded by lives that demand much of us, some of that is necessary and some that just masks itself in urgency. What are we going to do with what we’ve been given, friends? Do we feel the groaning around us for real life? Not just here, but forever more? Will we build tiny kingdoms to ourselves in order to feel power over emotions or families or careers or politicians or communities that we don’t know what to do with? Or will we humble ourselves before our Maker and ask Him what truly matters and to reveal where we have been faithless so we may repent? Where is God asking you to be faithful?

The answers may not be the same things for each person. Some people are raising children and doing the laundry because only the striped pajamas will do, staying up late to connect with other adults or get the work done. Some are building businesses because the Lord has given them a vision for something that could really help people and impact the world. Some  people are caring for elderly parents, grieving the loss of their memory, their dignity, and when you got to sit at the kids’ table and be small. Some are just trying to say “no” and make themselves really heard to the one pushing them, whether it be peer pressure on a playground, to fill the loneliness with another party or because he promised he wouldn’t hurt you again as the sound of a bottle clinks with a glass. Some are just trying to say “yes” to what feels absolutely terrifying, but also carries the potential for freedom in the next chapter if they could just simply let go.

Where is God asking you to be faithful? What secret gifts do you possess that could help build your life on the truth of God and to call others to such a time as this?

Ask the question. The answer is worth the risk.