Commitment (2)

What kind of commitments do we make?  How do we feel when we make and keep a commitment, even when it's challenging to do so?  God only plans good things for us.  Why, we may ask, did He structure a good life around keeping commitments? 

These days, commitment seems to have become something to avoid, something that is bound to result only in inconvenience at some point.  Commitment really does involve hard work and electing to honour a choice regardless of other possibilities that present themselves.  That isn't easy, so is it worth it?

Any success in life whether in business, sports, or a relationship is the result of making a choice and sticking with the plan.  Practice makes perfect.  It takes commitment to practice until skill comes.  So many other things look more pleasant than the boredom and hard work included in doing the same things over and over again.  In one moment, commitment doesn't "look" the better of the options.   The benefits only show after a period of time. 

Commitment in relationship is challenged early on by the tensions that come from learning how to bring two personalities together into one harmonious couple.  Over time it’s challenged by the familiarity of one another, the petty and not so petty irritants that are found in every relationship, as compared to someone who seems to bring freshness and not have any baggage that we are aware of.  So many people make the mistake of giving into a momentary distraction and miss the peace and joy that commitment to another person develops over time.

God is concerned that our heart be committed and obedient to him.  Whether it is in our relationship with God, our relationship with our spouse, or our work ethics, we can fake commitment and just go through the motions for a while, but we cannot make progress.  Commitment brings focus and energy and the ability to get through what is essential to long-term success.  If we are motivated by God's love for us and our love for Him and other people, no obstacle in life will be too great to overcome.

So you should try very hard to add goodness to your faith. To goodness, add knowledge.  To knowledge, add the ability to control yourselves. To the ability to control yourselves, add the strength to keep going. To the strength to keep going, add godliness.  To godliness, add kindness for one another. And to kindness for one another, add love.  All these things should describe you more and more. They will make you useful and fruitful as you know our Lord Jesus Christ better. (2 Peter 1:5-8 NIRV)

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