Commitment is a tough sell in the day and age of “I want that one”, yes that was a Lou and Andy reference. But it is a tough battle for the age old titan of adulthood known as commitment. How can it compete with the coolness of being spontaneous, or the whimsy of that greener pasture. There is nothing sexy about doing the same routine over and over again. We are often hoping that magically the work does it self and there is a huge party in our honour at the end… But usually no party.
It is a realization I believe that comes into play somewhere around 30, when you see the good that came from your commitment and the commitment of others. When you see peoples lives impacted through unselfish acts. Then you can see the inspiration of the giants of commitment who paved a path in front of you.
The people I have admired the most are the ones that spent the years fighting and building week after week knowing that the greater good was somehow at stake. In ministry I look at people who stay and fight, clean toilets, put on baseboard and preach week in week out, instead of falling for whimsy or spontaneity.
Don’t get me wrong I still have times of spontaneous behaviour, I am after all Pentecostal. Just not when I know that my family or church or friends are counting on me. This week I am reflecting and thankful for those guys who do what they say, preach what they live and give example to the rest of us who are watching their every step. I am watching new giants of commitment rise up and wow me with what they have done and others fall with the smallest tasks. I have a long way to go but with great examples will keep following!
Maybe this is part of the great race the Apostle Paul references so often, at least part of it.
I have a saying, not sure who I heard it from but I know it’s not mine. “Commitment beats talent, every time”.
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