1 Samuel 14:7 (NIV) 7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
Total commitment is a heart, soul, mind, and body commitment. A reason for such willing abandon is enormous trust and/or a very intimate relationship. There’s full confidence in the person’s actions. There’s full confidence in the person’s wisdom. There’s full confidence in the person’s choices. Or, there’s just much love going on towards another or between each other.
Commitment is a huge step. That’s why we ought to not make them recklessly. We don’t make them thoughtlessly. We ought to make sure that we’re committing to the right person, a right reason, a right cause or a right action. Making commitments to the wrong entity can have disastrous consequences. It can turn out to be a big waste of time and energy. Worst, it can result to a tremendous waste of our own life – even lives.
We ought to make right commitment to the right entity. A true commitment is a total commitment. I’ve heard someone say: “Commitment is a hundred percent. A 99.9% commitment is not a commitment at all.” And there’s a lot of truth in that. I wonder if any lover with a good character would say yes to a marriage proposal that promises a 99.9% commitment. That’s a huge percentage, but – really? Well, nowadays, it’s hard to predict. Less people know what commitment really is; less people value it; less people give it; and less people expect it.
But commitment is a noble virtue. We need more people who will trust each other. We need more people who can be counted on. We need more people who won’t bail out at the first sign of danger or tight situations, hard trials, or strong temptations. We need people who will stick it out with each other through thick and thin, joys and sorrows, richer or poorer, sickness and health. The more we learn true commitment, the more “successes” we’ll have; the more the most important things in our lives last.
Dear God – our immutable Father, thank you for not giving up on us. Despite the thousands of years of humanity’s failures, You were committed to bringing us back to You. Thank You also for giving us the patience, empowerment and everything else necessary to live with right commitments to the right entities. Most of all, may we be true to You. We’re sorry for being so spineless sometimes, many times, or most of the time. We’re sorry for treating our commitment with you so flippantly while You take Yours so seriously. Please awaken those of us who are “playing around.” May we live a truly beautiful life of commitment before You, – in Jesus’ Name, amen.
Pr. Adrian Ona 