Ashley Setterlind: Ashley Setterlind is a pastor’s wife, mama of two, and worship leader at LibertyLive.Church in Hampton Roads, VA. She is passionate about encouraging other moms to glorify God in their mundane moments by being deeply rooted in Christ. To learn more about her, visit @ashleysetterlind on Instagram or download her free ebook at 
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful [true to His word and His righteous character], for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Tim. 2:13 AMP).
Do you choose a “word” for the new year? Resolutions and setting strict “goals” have often left me feeling overwhelmed or full of shame when I fail. Instead, I have found that prayerfully considering my rhythms of life and creating what I refer to as “intentions” at the beginning of January is a lot more sustainable. The “word” God kept bringing to my attention for 2022 is faithful.
Over the past month, I’ve been reflecting on what “faithfulness” looks like in ordinary life. I’m wired to see how faithfulness is most easily displayed when it’s “shiny”—fleshed out in accomplishing big dreams, making grand plans, stewarding visible platforms, stepping out in faith through life-altering acts of obedience, etc.
But in 2021, God allowed my circumstances to redefine what it means to be faithful. I discovered that while the “big” stuff is indeed significant, God uses our faithfulness during the unseen parts of life in equally significant ways.
Faithfulness can look like shuffling my grumpy toddlers into the church doors before sunrise in preparation to lead worship in my local church. Faithfulness can look like obediently sharing the words God gives me to write for His glory. These acts are seen, and they are certainly ways to be faithful with what He’s called me to steward.
But the Lord has shown me that faithfulness is so much more than what meets the public eye.
Faithfulness is also:
- Choosing to get out of bed when I want to sleep the day away instead.
- Throwing in an AirPod and pressing play on my audio Bible before consuming any other media, even as tiny humans bombard me with requests for breakfast and shouts of “UP PLEASE, MOMMY!!!!” at a decibel far too loud for my morning foggy-brainedness to not be annoyed by.
- Taking my medication (even if I feel “fine”) and continuing to regularly meet with my counselor.
- Patiently correcting my child about the same offense for the 12th time in the past three hours.
- Getting on the floor to play at my toddlers’ eye level and leaving the dishes in the sink, even if it’s only for ten uninterrupted minutes.
- Not folding on boundaries just because someone else has misappropriated my motivation and tried to make me feel bad about them.
- Praying my pain; not projecting it onto others.
- Trusting God’s character in every moment of every day, especially in the darkness.
You see, faithfulness isn’t always flashy.
Perhaps, in God’s mysteriously upside-down Kingdom, our unseen acts of faithfulness are in fact the foundational building blocks He intends to use most in our lives—“both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13 ESV).
And the best part of all? Our “faithfulness” isn’t really ours to claim in the first place—it’s His. Yes, we contribute. We bring our willing hearts to His feet, surrender our hands for His service, and make the choice to respond in obedience. But even these acts of faithfulness are evidence of God’s grace; evidence of His faithfulness to us, which enables our own ability to be faithful to Him in return.
This is where we, as followers of Christ, can set our hope—firmly on His faithfulness. By nature, He is faithful. And He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:13). He never changes, even when we falter.
So, friend, let us draw near to Jesus. Let us trust His faithfulness to us, not our acts of perceived faithfulness to Him. This new year, let us rely on His steadfastness in every baby step or giant leap He calls us to. His faithfulness will remain. And because His faithfulness will remain, our faithfulness can endure too. Praise be to God!
