10th August 2018
Gemma Willis talks eggs and faithfulness as she reflects on Hebrews 3
Read: Hebrews 3
Faithfulness is a word that often elicits a strong emotion – usually because it brings up memories about ‘unfaithfulness’ and the impact this can have in varying areas of life.
Christians tend to describe themselves as people who are ‘faithful to God’ – but I’m not sure this is especially accurate. For me, at least, I’m trying to be faithful to God, but I’m definitely not always successful.
Earlier this week I stumbled across an article on the National Geographic app about ‘Old Faithful’ – the geyser in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
Anyway. When I read Hebrews 3 today and started thinking about what it means to be faithful to God – I realised that my faithfulness to God is actually quite like a geyser egg.
It’s as if I’m adding a layer to my egg each day – and each layer is unique.
Whilst some layers of my ‘faithfulness gob-stopper’ might look ok, other layers are definitely a bit flaky – but the beautiful thing is that whilst my faithfulness wavers, God’s faithfulness to me remains 100% steadfast and dependable.
From a human perspective it’s hard to imagine what perfect faithfulness looks and feels like. Our relationships can be so flawed, and many of us carry around the scars of unfaithfulness for a lifetime.
That’s why I love how the writer of Hebrews describes Jesus:
“He’s the centrepiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do.” (Hebrews 3:1-2 from The Message paraphrase)
The way that Jesus lived his life on earth gives me a credible model of complete faithfulness to follow. Whilst Jesus was fully God, he was also fully human – and so I know that he completely understands how hard it can be to steadfastly cling to God, in the face of the challenges of life.
But if being faithful is such hard work, then why am I bothering at all? Is it because I feel I somehow ‘owe’ God for sending Jesus to die for me? Is it because I’m trying to keep God ‘happy’? No. It’s because I love that God loves me even though I’m a bit of a screw-up. It’s because I believe God knows what is best for my life and I want to live my life to the full.
Gemma Willis
Content Innovator
Gemma Willis has over 14 years of experience in working with children and young people. She is passionate about communicating the good news of Jesus in relevant, exciting and engaging ways. She also likes pies, mountains and cats.