Aké Satia is the Chief Vision Officer at Aké Satia, a Human Capital firm in the DC area focused on strengthening organizations by bolstering the intersection of people strategy and business strategy.

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The Grace in Faithfulness

The Mindset Series: Episode 8

 

It is hard to believe it is already the last week of February, as it seems 2024 only began yesterday! Once again, as the adage goes, time waits for no one. Indeed, like a leaf gliding over The Great Plains in fall, time flies by and beckons us to come along! Our opportunity is to lay hold of it and use it wisely. In this vein, what is worth exploring today? 😊
Over the last eight weeks, we have endeavored to grasp mindsets worth cultivating, and last week, we dabbled in one that mesmerizes me, known as generosity. I am intrigued by generosity because I have seen its fruits and realized a hidden truth. –  One cannot readily ascertain whether another is being generous because the crux of generosity lies in the purity of our motives, not the grandness of our deeds.

Today, we will explore another realm that profoundly affects every facet of our lives. Here, I am referring to the mindset known as faithfulness.

The one that affects us all!

In full disclosure, this has been the most demanding piece for me to conceptualize and convey in The Mindset Series because there is much to share. Unlike patience, for which I toil endlessly to make an inch of progress, faithfulness is in my ethos and runs through me like crystal-clear waters in a Swiss stream. – Perhaps you can relate!

For this reason, one of the most hurtful things a person who matters to me could tell me is that they do not believe I am committed to them. Because those words make me feel unseen, like a dagger, they pierce my heart. Fortunately, as I desire to be loved by a few who matter more than to be liked by many, few can have such a heart-rending effect. And if such a misfortune should befall me, even when enveloped in fear masquerading as anger, I will dwell on the wise saying: There is no fear in love.
Indeed, though fear may strike the heart, it cannot shackle love, and it is never a worthy reason to limit our future.

But enough about me! 😊 Let’s delve into our topic for the day: What is faithfulness all about?

Belief, Pledge, Loyalty, and Confidence

Faithfulness is a term that has been in our lexicon since the mid-13th century. Deriving its roots from Old French, foi, and Latin, fides, faithfulness was associated with powerful sentiments and actions such as belief, trust, pledge, and confidence. Today, when most of us hear the word faithful, we understand it to mean unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath by which a tie was contracted, as defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. – This definition might intimidate many as it suggests that faithfulness is like an ironclad agreement, wherein once the heart engages, it never disengages. 

To better grasp this, I invite you to consider a simple question: When you hear the word faithfulness, what comes to mind?
As you contemplate this, you might find it easier to recall moments of unfaithfulness, especially those of betrayal, dismissal, or abandonment. Perhaps because heartbreak memories seem to appear more vivid than hope-filled ones. Additionally, such memories arouse profound emotion because being faithful and receiving faithfulness from others meets an intrinsic need. – Thereby propelling us to take significant risks and pour our hearts into earning the trust of others.

A Small yet Costly Favor

Today, when I think of faithfulness, I perceive the quality from a juxtaposed view of merited and unearned. To make this palpable, I’ll share a story. 

A few months ago, on a Friday, after my workout at the gym, I returned home to complete my morning routine. Several minutes later, I was out and about and stopped at a convenience store to make a quick purchase. Once I arrived, I parked my car in the parking lot and decided to check my cellphone before heading into the store. While doing so, I felt a presence in my peripheral view and looked to the left. Immediately, I saw a young woman in her 20s motion for me to roll down my window. Curious, I did!

With an earnest plea in her eyes and desperation in her tone, she made her request: She said she had to run into the store and make a quick purchase, but her young daughter was in her car. And she asked if I could watch after her little girl while she ran into the store. Quickly, I glanced at her car, and in the backseat, I saw a young girl, no more than six or seven years old. The girl looked as innocent as a dove and was as sweet as can be! Perplexed, I returned my gaze to her mom, and with hesitation, I said: Sure, I’ll watch your daughter.

Grace for Others

Understandably, you may wonder why I agreed to watch a stranger’s daughter in a parking lot. Or perhaps you are wondering why I was apprehensive when the young lady asked for a small favor. To me, her request was small yet costly. And to be gracious, I had to resist the human inclination to pass swift judgment as we often do when another does or says something we deem unjustifiable. Quickly, I reasoned that there must be a good reason for her action, and though I may not understand, I could empathize. However, I couldn’t help feeling a sense of heaviness from the weight of her request.

Admittedly, my most compelling reason for accepting to watch her daughter was I trembled at the thought of the little girl sitting alone in the car without knowing someone was looking out for her. But once her mom was out of sight, a slew of worst-case scenarios zapped through my mind… What if someone who is trying to hurt the mom drives up to the car and attempts to grab the child? Or what if someone sees the cute little girl and tries to kidnap her? What would I do? Instantly, I pictured myself flying out of my car, frantically jumping up and down, yelling and screaming for help.

At that moment, I resolved that if such a dreadful predicament were to materialize, I would do anything I could to get the attention of others and protect this little one entrusted to me for safekeeping.

Honoring our Word

Fortunately, none of my foreboding thoughts transpired! Within minutes, though it felt like hours, her mom walked out of the store. Immediately, she rushed to my window and thanked me profusely for watching her daughter. I remarked that she had a wonderful little girl and wished her Godspeed. Then, I walked into the store, completed my purchase, returned to my car, and drove home.

On my drive, my eyes welled as I reflected on what I had just experienced: A mother had chosen to put her complete confidence in me with her most precious asset without knowing who I was. I have a very soft spot for kids, and in my opinion, children are the VIPs of the human race. However, the mom could not have deduced that by glancing at me as I sat in my car in a parking lot, going through messages on my cellphone. For this reason, I did not feel deserving of her faith, and it broke my heart that she chose to entrust the care of her most precious asset to a stranger – even though the stranger was me.

The Grace in Faithfulness

That day, I felt challenged to rethink the concept of faithfulness and the value of putting our faith in another. As I reflected on the experience, I perceived the life lesson. On that fateful morning, I honored my word to the mother, and she honored hers. And this reveals the grace in faithfulness. The ultimate value of faithfulness does not become apparent when it is one-sided. – With one person tirelessly pouring into another who floats in a perennial stream of adulation, showing little concern for the other. The complete value of faithfulness emanates through a gracious exchange: In the act of trusting the intentions of another while staying true to our word. Beautifully, by so doing, we honor ourselves and others.

Indeed, as loving another is the most powerful thing we can do, being faithful is the most gracious gift we can offer.

Friend, I leave you with this: can you imagine how we would thrive in our homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces if each of us honored our word?

Until next time.

For you and to you,
Aké

 

 

Image credit: Pexels | Pixabay

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