By DANNY MINTON

From the earliest I can remember, I had always wanted to be a Plano Wildcat. On Friday evenings, we’d hop in the car with my dad and drive the dozen or so blocks to Rice Field, home of the maroon and white Wildcat football team. We always arrived early, even before the ticket takers at times. My dad liked to park in the endzone on the south end of the field in case the weather turned bad. The dream of stepping on Rice Field as a Wildcat lived in the lives of many of the boys. Several would obtain the dream and play together from Junior high to high school. Others would be Wildcats in the band, as cheerleaders, or part of the close-knit student body. As Ken Bangs, one of my teammates, always says, “Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.” Win or lose, years later, I’m still a faithful follower.

I’m also a Dallas Cowboys fan. I remember as a Junior high football player, we would, at times, get endzone tickets to see the new team play in the Cotton Bowl for fifty cents a ticket. When the crowds were sparse after halftime, we’d move to the reserve seat section to watch the rest of the game. They would finish their first season with a record of 0-11-1 with a .000 winning percentage. They were led at the time by “The Little General,” five-foot-seven-inch quarterback Eddie Lebaron. Over the years, they have had some great and forgettable seasons. They have had great coaches and ones that didn’t seem to know what they were doing. I have followed the team’s ups and downs for over sixty years. Although I haven’t agreed with all the changes and events around the team over those years, I remain a faithful fan. 

Both of my teams have had more challenging times in the past seasons. Both have been champions, and both have found themselves at the bottom. However, no matter how they have played or are playing, I’ll still cheer them on to win. When they lose, I’ll support them the next time they step on the field. I have no plans to switch teams. I am a faithful Wildcat and Cowboy follower. 

In listing the “Fruit of the Spirit,” Paul seems to shift in emphasis. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and goodness strongly emphasize how we treat others. The following attribute focuses on an inner quality beyond how we treat others. It focuses on our inner character and our commitment to Christ. His word is “faithfulness,” which takes our faith to a higher level. Someone who possesses faithfulness is the person who, when everyone else leaves, stands firmly with you.

There is a scene toward the movie’s end, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” where Frodo, having seen his fellow travelers suffer, decides to continue the journey alone. Frodo boards a small boat and starts down the river when his friend, Samwise, appears on the shore. He yells as Frodo, and although he can’t swim, wades into the water, attempting to reach the boat. Frodo yells, “Go back, Sam; I am going to Mordor alone.” Walking deeper into the water, Samwise yells, “Of course you are, and I’m coming with you.” He continues into deeper waters until Frodo saves him from drowning. Once in the boat, Samwise tells Frodo, “I made a promise, Mr. Frodo, a promise. Don’t you leave him Samwise Gamgee, and I don’t mean to, I don’t mean to.” Samwise’s faithfulness to Frodo is shown throughout the Tolkien Trilogy with his willingness to stay by Frodo’s side in all circumstances.

In Psalm 89, Ethan repeatedly tells of God’s faithfulness toward His people. Ethan writes the words of God, “If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,  if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands,  I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging;  but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.”  Psalm 89:30-34 (NIV2011) 

God promises to always be faithful toward us in all circumstances, emphasizing that He will always be here for us. In return, he expects us to be the same toward Him and our fellow believers. Nothing should stand between the bond that we have for one another. When things are not going well, those we call brothers and sisters should know that there will always be those who will remain faithful to them, standing by their side when all others have gone.

Likewise, God expects us to remain faithful to Him. The Hebrew writer lists several who showed what it means to be faithful to God. “There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:35-40 (NIV2011) These were people with no names for history to remember. They are remembered only because of their faithfulness to God.

Faithfulness means standing up for God and one another regardless of the circumstances. Faithfulness requires standing firm when choosing to stay or turn away. Personal desires and motives do not influence steadfast faithfulness but exhibit themselves in standing for what is just and right at all times, no matter the cost. Faithfulness means win or lose, good or bad,  or right or wrong; others can take encouragement that we are always by their side. No matter what others face, they should be consoled by knowing we are going with them.

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ