(By list subscriber Stephen Kollock)
[Edited]
I have a friend who builds houses for a living - a process that fascinates me. Not just building houses but constructing anything on a grand scale; from ships to bridges to the house or apartment you live in.
When we had our house built, I was able to see the process first hand. The first thing they do is level the land on which the house is to be built. Once that is accomplished, a foundation is dug. Then comes the floor to support the walls, which support the second floor, walls, which support the roof. All of it was lots of work, taking months to finally get to the finished product.
The reason it took so long was because it had to be done right. If one stage was done wrong, the whole thing could fall down. It takes time to build something - at least to build it right. It takes planning. It takes skill. Most of all, it takes dedication. Building anything the right way it takes someone dedicated to doing the job right.
On the other hand, it doesn't take much to tear something down. It doesn't take a whole lot of skill - picture me with a sledgehammer in the middle of your living room. In a matter of minutes a bulldozer can bring down a house that took month's to build and has stood for years.
Seems strange that something that was built with such care can be destroyed so easily. But it's always easier to tear down than to build up, isn't it. It's easier to throw out than to bring back in. It's easier to stop than to keep going. I think in our lives today we are missing an ingredient that it would serve us well to revisit: commitment.
Remember commitment. It's the idea of saying you are going to do something and then actually doing it. It's saying I will marry you no matter what and then when no matter what happens, staying married. Or saying I want to have children and even when they become the little monsters you swore your kid's would never be, you keep being their parents.
Commitment is saying you love and appreciate your parents and all their sacrifices for you to the point where you will bring them to your home instead of the nursing home in the winter of their life. The problem with commitment is really simple though; commitment requires something most us do not want to consider: sacrifice.
Commitment may mean sacrificing your time or your money or some of your own dreams because you said you would. It means walking through the fire that will inevitably burn you because you knew going in hurt could be part of the deal. But more than that, it means staying the course until the end, no matter what the cost. Commitment means sacrifice.
I am afraid in our society we have made it too easy to turn from our commitments. We find it so easy to just stop if something gets too hard, to walk away and start over later or with a different person or maybe in a different place.
We are a people of excuses. And the excuses are mostly to relieve any guilt or apprehension we have about one thing: not living up to our commitments.
Here are some examples of those who display the kind of commitment I'm talking about and wish I had more of. The single mother working two jobs for the simple reason that she made a commitment to her kids. The father who leaves his family to fight for his country because when he signed up he knew that was part of the job. The pastor who stands up for God even when he knows it will cost him his way of life.
I admit it, I've taken my share of shortcuts, letting people down along the way. But the problem is so many people take most of their commitments with a grain of salt. We have looked and found all kind of exit clauses and loopholes to get us out of any commitment we make. Now it's as easy to get a divorce as it is to get married. If you don't want the child you are carrying, you can always go to a clinic and skip the commitment that comes with parenthood. We often say we believe in something until it's really put to the test.
Sadly, many Christians have fallen into this "limited commitment" category. We are often committed as long as it doesn't interfere too strongly with what we like to do. We all like to pick and choose. "I agree with the part about adultery but the part about honoring God with everything seems a little outdated."
With commitments like these and sacrifice being a thing of the past, is it any wonder our houses are falling in?
Laugh & Lift at http://www.laughandlift.com/list.html
My Comments: I very much agree with this message, and for once, I was feeling pretty good, because I felt like I am generally more committed than others to the responsibilities I have. Then, of course, the Lord started digging a little deeper and uncovering some areas where I am not so responsible or committed... so I guess I need to recommit to some responsibilities, too.
I have a friend who builds houses for a living - a process that fascinates me. Not just building houses but constructing anything on a grand scale; from ships to bridges to the house or apartment you live in.
When we had our house built, I was able to see the process first hand. The first thing they do is level the land on which the house is to be built. Once that is accomplished, a foundation is dug. Then comes the floor to support the walls, which support the second floor, walls, which support the roof. All of it was lots of work, taking months to finally get to the finished product.
The reason it took so long was because it had to be done right. If one stage was done wrong, the whole thing could fall down. It takes time to build something - at least to build it right. It takes planning. It takes skill. Most of all, it takes dedication. Building anything the right way it takes someone dedicated to doing the job right.
On the other hand, it doesn't take much to tear something down. It doesn't take a whole lot of skill - picture me with a sledgehammer in the middle of your living room. In a matter of minutes a bulldozer can bring down a house that took month's to build and has stood for years.
Seems strange that something that was built with such care can be destroyed so easily. But it's always easier to tear down than to build up, isn't it. It's easier to throw out than to bring back in. It's easier to stop than to keep going. I think in our lives today we are missing an ingredient that it would serve us well to revisit: commitment.
Remember commitment. It's the idea of saying you are going to do something and then actually doing it. It's saying I will marry you no matter what and then when no matter what happens, staying married. Or saying I want to have children and even when they become the little monsters you swore your kid's would never be, you keep being their parents.
Commitment is saying you love and appreciate your parents and all their sacrifices for you to the point where you will bring them to your home instead of the nursing home in the winter of their life. The problem with commitment is really simple though; commitment requires something most us do not want to consider: sacrifice.
Commitment may mean sacrificing your time or your money or some of your own dreams because you said you would. It means walking through the fire that will inevitably burn you because you knew going in hurt could be part of the deal. But more than that, it means staying the course until the end, no matter what the cost. Commitment means sacrifice.
I am afraid in our society we have made it too easy to turn from our commitments. We find it so easy to just stop if something gets too hard, to walk away and start over later or with a different person or maybe in a different place.
We are a people of excuses. And the excuses are mostly to relieve any guilt or apprehension we have about one thing: not living up to our commitments.
Here are some examples of those who display the kind of commitment I'm talking about and wish I had more of. The single mother working two jobs for the simple reason that she made a commitment to her kids. The father who leaves his family to fight for his country because when he signed up he knew that was part of the job. The pastor who stands up for God even when he knows it will cost him his way of life.
I admit it, I've taken my share of shortcuts, letting people down along the way. But the problem is so many people take most of their commitments with a grain of salt. We have looked and found all kind of exit clauses and loopholes to get us out of any commitment we make. Now it's as easy to get a divorce as it is to get married. If you don't want the child you are carrying, you can always go to a clinic and skip the commitment that comes with parenthood. We often say we believe in something until it's really put to the test.
Sadly, many Christians have fallen into this "limited commitment" category. We are often committed as long as it doesn't interfere too strongly with what we like to do. We all like to pick and choose. "I agree with the part about adultery but the part about honoring God with everything seems a little outdated."
With commitments like these and sacrifice being a thing of the past, is it any wonder our houses are falling in?
Laugh & Lift at http://www.laughandlift.com/list.html
My Comments: I very much agree with this message, and for once, I was feeling pretty good, because I felt like I am generally more committed than others to the responsibilities I have. Then, of course, the Lord started digging a little deeper and uncovering some areas where I am not so responsible or committed... so I guess I need to recommit to some responsibilities, too.
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