COMMITMENT

I  heard the word "commit" three times in the last three days used in three different contexts. When things come in threes it usually means there is a message in there somewhere!  I try to heed the call of the Holy Spirit when He says "I feel a blog coming on" and get out the laptop!!!

Webster defines commitment as: (a) : an agreement or pledge to do something in the future;  (b) : the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled.

The word is used everyday with or without conscience meaning. How often do we say or hear someone else say "I'll call you." How many times in one day do we say we are going to do something. What about a New Year's Resolution? Isn't that a commitment?   It is often said of boyfriends that "he has a fear of commitment."

So why do we have a fear of commitment? Is it fear of failure? In the words of Leo Buscaglia, "So what?" [The only failure is for the lack of trying; and failure never killed anyone!!]  Is it a lack of trust? Because someone betrayed you once you don't have faith in another? Or is it a matter of integrity? You know you won't be able to keep your promise.

And what happens when someone makes a commitment to us? Don't we trust that person will follow through? Don't we have faith in that person's integrity?

As I was reading a friend's blog today entitled "The Heart is Led by the Tongue", she talked about how "we have a way of really only doing what we want to do or what we feel like doing" instead of "doing what we ought to do regardless of our emotions," or "not doing anything our heart isn't into" and that "the tongue has a way of leading the heart." (http://tipitee.blogspot.com/). The Bible more aptly says it  "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart..." (Matthew 15:18).  Her blog goes right along with my thoughts on commitment!

Commitment, trust and faith go hand in hand. The Bible tells us to "commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." (Psalm 37:5). When Christians accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Savior, they commit their lives to Him. That commitment must be from the heart or it is just an empty promise. 

How many times have we left our burdens at the Cross only to pick them up again? How many times have we felt God telling us to doing something but don't do it because we are blinded by an obstacle? By doing this, aren't we saying we don't have faith in God, we don't trust God, we don't believe He will keep His commitment to us? Yet  He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. His Word never returns void.

Do you have the heart for God? Do you have the heart of God? Are your commitments based on the same standard as God's commitment to us?

Can you hear me now???

Remember when you met your neighbor at the fence and talked?  And at the end of the conversation both parties went their way smiling and waving and saying "have a nice day"?

Modern technology provides the telephone, voice mail, email, instant messaging, text messaging, etc which has caused relationships to go astray! You cannot interpret the intent of the speaker by a facial expression or an inflection in their tone of voice!

Yesterday I had an unfortunate incident using written words rather than face to face. So much can be lost in the interpretation  (and not in a good way) when you are not speaking directly to someone. The "conversation" went like this:  "I feel like..." but the listener heard (or rather, read) "You are a ...."! Wait! How can that be!?!? I suppose if that person was really paying attention, my feelings would have been acknowledged first and, if not certain of what I was saying, asked me for clarification. I had to wonder if the response and end result would have been the same  in a face to face conversation!

I got to thinking about the fine art of listening. Are we so busy that we don't take the time to listen? Or are we so focused on ourselves that we don't listen? Or do we just not care enough to listen?

When I worked in retail I did an experiment at the check out to see if people really listen. As the customer was leaving I would say something similar in sounding like "have a nice day" and the response was always  "thanks, you too"!  Hmmm. Did they really hear me say "did you see last night's play"???...or, "your face looks like clay" ???

The Bible tells us "...let man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." (James 1:19)

Perhaps if we just cared enough~ to slow down long enough ~to listen well enough, there would be less misunderstandings!