Remember how much fun it is to try out a new cell phone and learn all of the secret features that make it unique? With many providers today, you are no longer obligated to keep it for two years or to be under contract. Simply switch it out in six months or whenever the provider decides to allow you to do so. You are no longer bound by a commitment or obligation.
Commitment often seems like such a dirty word. Like an obligation or a promise that you must fulfill. In fact, it is the definition of the word in many dictionaries. But what is wrong with having a commitment to someone or something? Doesn’t it encourage you to keep going even when you feel like giving up?
How has our lack of commitment as a society changed the way we see people? Divorces are easy to obtain, live-in arrangements are more popular than ever. It’s no big deal to change jobs, homes, even schools. The lack of commitment carries over into church attendance as fewer people are attending on a regular basis that even a decade ago.
Developing an Attitude of Commitment
With this change in society, it is all too easy to give up on people and causes that don’t fulfill their promise right away. But commitment means sticking with something even when you don’t see the results you expect.
Athletes must be committed to their sport if they want to be successful. Since Paul compared the Christian life to running a race, perhaps we can learn something about commitment from those athletes and coaches. Here are six components that make an athlete successful by developing their level of commitment and ones we can follow in our own Christian walk:
- A solemn pledge – not just a half-hearted promise made in the heat of the moment; athletes sign up for a team or to a group for continual lessons and practice
- A full investment – athletes must focus much of their energy into their sport even when they are not playing or practicing
- A willingness to sacrifice – athletes give up free time, eat healthy foods, practice when they’d rather rest and make decisions in every aspect of their lives for the good of their sport
- A long-term obligation – athletes stick with their sport even when they are in a slump or not performing to their or others’ expectations; they stick with it even when the team is losing
- An ability to persevere – when things go wrong, true athletes keep going; they continue through injury, illness, and poor performances with no guarantee that things will ever improve
- A continual dedication in action – it is obvious when an athlete is committed by his or her actions; they practice harder and longer to prove that they are still dedicated to the sport they love
Do we as Christians display these same attitudes in serving Christ? Or do we give up at the first sign of difficulty, throwing away the people and programs that we claim to believe in?
