Love and faithfulness
August 7, 2024
By Jeff Becraft
Love and faithfulness… the two go together.
In fact, it is almost impossible to have the one without the other.
Just think about the movies that have really stirred you. I’m not talking about movies that were really exciting or really funny or that were entertaining. I’m talking about movies that stir your soul.
Don’t each of them, in one way or another, involve love and faithfulness? Isn’t this what leads to courage, heroism, and sacrifice? And isn’t that what stirs our soul?
A week and a half ago was Brenda and mine’s 39th wedding anniversary. We were already planning a more low-key day since we would be heading out of town in a few weeks. But still, we were going to go out to dinner at a restaurant that neither of us had ever been to and we were looking forward to a day that was a little out of the ordinary.
But on Friday night, Brenda started not feeling well and then on Saturday, she was full-blown sick. So I went out and mowed the grass and worked in the yard like I do most Saturdays. Someone might say, “Well, that’s not special at all.”
On the contrary, it was very special… because I had married a special person. Brenda being sick and me out doing the routine didn’t change any of that. In fact, all day long, through doing the ordinary and knowing it was our anniversary, brought to my mind the 39 years and how thankful I was to have Brenda in my life.
Through all the ups and downs, mountain tops and valleys, good times and bad, communication and no communication, smooth sailing and choppy water, work and play, … no kids, then kids, then grandkids… it has been love and faithfulness. That is what has made it special.
We did get to watch a couple of movies together… and both of them were ones that stirred our soul. In fact one of them, Narrow Escape (it didn’t get high ratings but it resonated with me), has become one of my favorite all-time movies. Why? Because it is based on a true story and is a vivid picture of… love and faithfulness. It is about a Navy ship that rescues a baby during the Korean war era.
Whether it’s a marriage, a family, a business, a team, an organization… it all comes down to love and faithfulness. These are the roots that make everything else bloom.
Jeff Becraft is the Director of Our Place of Hope and the Director Emeritus for Youth Corps and has dedicated much of his life to helping shift the vision of people’s lives. Our Place of Hope is a paradigm shift for people living with mental illness that encourages them to regain meaning, purpose, and hope for their lives. You can connect with Jeff at [email protected].
