Will I be faithful in the hard times, or will I walk away?

Precious Prodigal post for July 31, 2014: Will I be faithful in the hard times, or will I walk away? #standfaithful #integrity Please "Share" using this "ShortLink" = http://bit.ly/1ptiw02

John 6:67 "Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?"

When someone in our family begins to act out in destructive ways, we quickly learn which of our friends are “fair weather’ ones, don’t we? Not understanding our situation or our pain, some of them avoid us as though we have Bubonic Plague. Even those friends who try to understand sometimes distance themselves, perhaps concerned about the impact our problems might have on their own families.

In the beginning, great multitudes followed Jesus, willingly going from one place to another. And why not? He spoke eloquently to them, He healed their sick and lame, and He spoke with authority. However, it wasn’t any of those things that attracted the people to Him. What caused them to follow Jesus from Tiberias to Capernaum was that He fed them. (John 6:26) It was easy, and it was comfortable.

Then Jesus began to tell them “the rest of the story.” Following Him wasn’t going to be an easy road of free food and comfort. Following Him was going to mean sacrifice and hardship. It was going to mean looking to Him and seeing He was more than the son of Mary and Joseph. He was going to be everything, or He was going to be nothing.

Faced with that truth, “many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more.” (John 6:66) Like our own “fair weather friends,” they walked away when it stopped being convenient or comfortable. Since it happened to me, I can guess how Jesus might have been feeling when he asked his disciples, “Will you also go away?” (John 6:67)

No one ever said our road was going to be easy. In fact, the Scriptures say exactly the opposite. The book of Job tells us “man’s days are short and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1) And Job spoke with authority since he had lost everything…his wealth, his children, and his health. His wife finally told him he should just “curse God and die” and asked him why he retained his integrity. Job answered her by asking whether they should expect only good things to happen. (Job 2:9-10)

Like Job, instead of saying, “Why me?” we would do better to ask, “Why not me?” Why wouldn’t my husband leave? Why wouldn’t I lose my job? Why wouldn’t my spouse, my sister, or even my child die? Why wouldn’t my children break my heart? What in the world would make me think I should be exempt?

The question isn’t whether heartbreaking things are going to happen. They are. The question is how are we going to react when they do? Will we go away as many of Christ’s disciples did, or will we stay the course? Will we blame God and say how unfair our circumstances are, or will we retain our integrity?

At some point, I can guarantee you will be faced with those very choices, and it takes character to do what’s right when your world is falling apart. Drawing that line, making that promise, standing steadfast isn’t easy. But it’s the only way, when trouble comes, that we will still be standing in our integrity. And that integrity is something we need to hold fast.

Challenge for Today: Can you, just for today, determine you will be faithful regardless of your circumstances?