When We Fail, He is Faithful

The last few days have been hard for me emotionally; I've had several instances involving relationships where I intentionally made efforts to be faithful to what I believed God was asking of me to do. I was intentional and prayerful in both my actions and words and yet in both I did not achieve the desired affect. In an attempt to act out of my relationship to Christ, I discovered neither individual or party found me as a source of truth or comfort. In fact both flat out rejected my efforts and one was even critical of them. In both instances I was left feeling insecure and a failure....did I let God down? Am I such a poor judge of character that I can't sense what people need to turn to God? Why does my enemy keep trying to convince me I am not transformed at all?
I heard a comment this week that has been resonating in my mind...."The world is neither impressed nor influenced by your relationship with Christ but rather your resemblance to him." I began to ask God, "Is this where I have been unfaithful in our relationship?" Am I so concerned with being in relationship with you, that I forget to look like you? Then God reminded me how he looks at faithfulness in relationship.
Fidelity is such an interesting concept when it comes to relationship with God. More and more the world lacks faithfulness. Probably this is because faithfulness is a 'fruit of the Spirit'; you have to be in the Spirit of God to show fidelity. I have seen more marriages end due to infidelity and more relationships break apart for lack of loyalty in the last several years than I ever had in my career thus far. God calls faithfulness, "covenant". A covenant is like a contract between two parties and is sealed with blood like an oath. God made a covenant with Abraham. He told Abram to take each animal that was used for sacrifices and cut them in half opposite each other. The blood drained towards the middle. God then caused Abraham to fall asleep and the God himself walked between the pieces in the trail of blood; since God could swear by no one greater He swore by himself to keep his promises to Abraham. The faithfulness was only dependent on God.
God reminded me the same is true for the bride of Christ and her bridegroom, Jesus. Hebrew tradition dictates at a wedding that the groom reads and signs the "Kesubah" which is a binding document of confidence and trust which details the husband's obligations to his wife. The wife, although a very important part of the relationship, does not sign it at all. The covenant of faithfulness belongs to the groom. The same is true for my relationship with Jesus. He has sealed it with his own blood that if I remain in him, he will remain in me. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15) So even the times I fail to look like him to the rest of the world...He will be faithful. When I fail to draw people closer to him...He will be faithful to do it. When I show that I am still a work in progress...he will be faithful to complete it. I'm thinking this post as I finish typing it might be hard to understand. I guess I'm trying to say that even when it feels like you fail God trying to resemble him to the world, it's ok...he knows your heart. My God sets the standard (who is Jesus) and knows that even standing on my toes I'll never reach it here on Earth. But everyday I'm getting a little closer and thankfully he is still willing to use me as I try.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." 2nd Corinthians 3:17