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When you first read that phrase—freedom through commitment—it sounds like a contradiction, because we think commitment takes away our freedom. If I make a commitment to marry, I lose my freedom. If I agree to head up that project, I’ll be tied down. If I accept this invitation for Saturday night, something better may come along. If I sign up for that event at church, I may change my mind. How can commitment bring freedom?
Commitment is all about making a choice, and when we choose in one direction, we lose the option to choose in another direction. But what we fail to realize is choosing not to choose is still a choice we make. Deciding not to make a commitment is a decision—and that reluctance to make a commitment takes us down a certain path with its own consequences.
Jesus said, whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Matthew 10:39). Jesus was teaching us that if you focus on your freedom and you’re very reluctant to make commitments to anything or anyone because you want to be free, you’re going to lose your life. That means you’re going to lose the real meaning of life; you’re going to lose the real joy of life; you’re going to miss the purpose for which God put you here on earth. But if you’re willing to commit your life to God’s plan—if you lose your life, as Jesus put it—then you will find it. You will find that meaningful, purposeful life that fills you with satisfaction and contentment.
Ephesians 2:10 says, for we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. God intends for each of us who are born from above, to do the good works he planned for us to do, and that means we have to make a commitment. We have to choose one path in life, which precludes us from choosing another. We have to make one decision about what we’ll do this weekend, which means we can’t do something else. We have to say yes to being involved in a ministry, which means we can’t go to the beach that day.
The path of less commitment takes you into a less structured life. While that may sound like freedom, it is explicitly true that people who have structure and thereby commitments as part of their lifestyle have much greater satisfaction and less frustration than those who refuse to make a commitment for fear of losing their freedom. Jesus knew what he was talking about.
Commitment is at low levels these days, and yet it has not brought great joy or abundant life.