I recently heard a story of a man whose father ran out on him and his mother when he was fairly young. Some years later the father felt enormous guilt and shame for what he had done and wanted to reconnect with his son. The son was willing to meet but wanted his dad to know that he couldn’t just walk into his life and everything would be fine. So the son told him repeatedly how much he had failed him. He refused to call him dad, even after a couple of years of getting to know each other. He wanted his dad to know about and pay for all the pain and loss he had suffered.
But then, one day after several years of this, the son said he felt that he had no more hate for this man. He started calling him dad out of nowhere which meant the world to the father. The son finally felt love for his dad and now they are truly father and son. When the son was asked “what changed?” His answer was unique and inspiring. He said simply, “his consistency.” No matter what his son through at him…blame, ridicule, past moments he had missed, the father stayed consistent. He kept coming back, he kept wanting more and more time with his son. The father wasn’t perfect, he still made mistakes but he kept coming back. He kept fighting for his relationship with his son.
Now, some weeks after I had heard the story, I woke up reminded of it. I thought of how true it is of all our relationships, that is, the need to be consistent. If there is no consistency the relationship has no foundation and crumbles. But I wasn’t thinking of any earthly relationships…I was thinking about my heavenly relationship. The only difference is, in this relationship the father didn’t leave…I did.
Thankfully our reconciliation was paid for by Christ. The Heavenly Father doesn’t make us keep paying for what we have done to him or remind us of where we have failed him. But now even though we are reunited by faith, the journey still tends to get hard. The world and the ruler of it puts us in a vice and squeezes more and more each day. And in that pressure we start to neglect the little things of relationship. Prayer, Bible reading, study and meditation, worship…these start to get pushed to the side when things get tough.
Over and over the scriptures teach and push us towards simple consistency.
“I forget what lies behind and press towards the goal” Phil 3:13-14
Let us keep running with endurance the race that is set before us” Heb. 12:1
Not that I have made it my own, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own” Phil 3:12
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” Gal. 6:9
Let us not give up in our pursuit of Christ. Though the days will get harder, our bodies will get tired and our zeal may not be there as it was yesterday. Even so, let us keep pressing on in consistency. We will still stumble and make mistakes, but we get back up and put our hands to the plow once again (Luke 9:62). Our heavenly father loves us so much, he was willing to give his only son to reconcile us back to himself. He is always consistent, never changing, and always faithful. And most importantly, He wants a relationship with his people. So never give up and keep pushing forward, one day at a time.