Meditations on Fidelity: Being True to Myself and to Those I Love

By Sally Jo Nelson Botzler

The meditations in this book guide the reader in reflecting on some of the most important questions we can ask ourselves as Christians. This small book also supports readers in improving their commitment to understanding themselves and those they love. These meditations could be used by Christian pastors and counselors as they assist parishioners in coming to terms with remorsefulness about their human flaws and in extending sincere expressions of forgiveness to themselves and toward others both in and outside their faith communities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512792218

Sally Jo Nelson Botzler

As a lifelong Lutheran Christian, Sally has experienced all of the roles explored in this small book of meditations. Professionally, Sally holds a BA and an MA in education and a PhD in international/ inter-cultural education. She retired after a 30-year career in education and then served in Peace Corps Mexico for two years. Sally has forged worldwide friendships and is committed to multilingualism, multiculturalism, Christian education, and interfaith dialogue.

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Copyright © 2017 Sally Jo Nelson Botzler.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-9220-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-9221-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017910003

WestBow Press rev. date: 6/26/2017

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Meditation 1: Why Must I Meditate on Fidelity?

Meditation 2: Fidelity Involves My Learning

Meditation 3: Fidelity Involves My Creating

Meditation 4: Fidelity Involves My Reflecting

Meditation 5: Fidelity Involves My Developing Caring Relationships

Meditation 6: Fidelity Involves My Sustaining Caring Relationships

Meditation 7: Fidelity Involves My Resting

Meditation 8: Fidelity Involves My Re-creating

Meditation 9: Fidelity Involves My Renewing

Meditation 10: Fidelity Requires My Giving and Receiving Encouragement and Support

Conclusion

Recommended Reading

About the Author

This book is

dedicated to my dear mother, Dorothy Ruff Stein Nelson, who was a model of integrity and Christian faith, standing on the Solid Rock of her hope in Jesus Christ.

Acknowledgments

I deeply appreciate the encouragement and support of my beloved husband and best friend, Rick Botzler, who generously affirmed my efforts in writing this small book and graciously offered insightful suggestions on earlier versions of the manuscript. I also am grateful for the helpful feedback of Dr. Susan Armstrong, retired priest-in-charge at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka, California and professor emeritus of philosophy at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California.

As a child and adolescent, I benefited greatly from the inspired teaching of and example set by William August Schmidt, who shared his Christian faith with our impressionable seventh- and eighth-grade classes at Mt. Calvary Lutheran School in Detroit, Michigan. This gifted teacher told us about how he’d been called to the profession and brought to life stories from the Bible and from Christian church history. He enhanced my appreciation for the valuable roles of women by highlighting the identities and the important contributions of two biblical women to Jewish history: Ruth and Esther. Through our class studies of U.S. history, I also was deeply impressed by the courage of Harriet Tubman who helped liberate many African-American slaves as the so-called Conductor on the Underground Railroad at the time of the Civil War.

The strength and humility of these three who actively struggled and effectively coped with personal and societal challenges are sources of hope for me as I face my own dilemmas. They encourage my sense of fidelity as a Christian woman.

I also gratefully acknowledge the influence of the many individuals noted in these meditations on fidelity. Authors and selected works are listed in the final section, Recommended Reading. All quotations from the Holy Bible are taken from the New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: New York International Bible Society and Zondervan Bible Publishers, 2013).

Preface

T his small book of meditations on fidelity contains brief reflections, profiles, and sets of open-ended questions. The meditations relate directly to some of the most essential aspects of my physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual nature and my intra- and interpersonal human relationships.

These meditations are intended primarily to help me understand my own personal experiences. Perhaps, however, they can be used as sources of reflection by others, whether they are single individuals, partners, friends, parents or guardians, grandparents, educators, public or church school teachers, youth leaders, or mentors.

As an individual who has experienced a physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual life in each of these important roles, it is my hope that meditating on fidelity can enhance my future relationships and allow me to nurture myself and those I love in leading a more authentic, joyful, and meaningful life.

According to the 2014 fifth edition of Webster’s New World College Dictionary, the English word fidelity is a noun that originated from the Middle English word fidelite and the Latin fidelitas fidelis meaning 1) faithful devotion to duty or to one’s obligations or vows; loyalty, faithfulness; 2) accuracy of a description, translation, etc., or of the reproduction of sound, image, etc. One synonym for fidelity is allegiance. The term for fidelity in German is die Treue, and in Spanish, it is la fidelidad.

What does it mean to meditate or focus on fidelity? The word meditate is a transitive verb, i.e., it has a direct object. It is typically thought that transition is a change from one state or condition to