The Long Faithfulness

One of the phrases I use to describe the Christian life to my students is "the long faithfulness." "Faith is a marathon, not a sprint," I tell my students. We need to go about the faith thinking about how to make it sustainable for the long haul. The Christian life is a life dedicated to the long faithfulness.

I think I got that line as a fusion from Dorothy Day and Eugene Peterson. Day's autobiography of faith and conversion is entitled The Long Loneliness. And Eugene Peterson has a book entitled A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.