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As a leader in ministry for many years, I’m aware people are less and less willing to make a commitment. Many wait until the last minute to sign up or agree to help. It can be frustrating, but what is the reason for it?
I had a conversation with a young woman in her 20s who was working on her master’s in theology, and she explained her generation doesn’t want to feel chained—her word—to some commitment because they want to feel free to do whatever they want to do at the moment. They want to live without structure and keep their options open.
I think her analysis was pretty accurate. It’s an attitude that is prevalent among the younger generation, but believe me, it has crept into the minds of us older people, too. It’s a result of a very egocentric mindset—and we’ve encouraged this kind of thinking with our emphasis on individual rights, individual freedom, individual fulfillment. In other words, we’ve developed a cultural mindset that convinces us it’s all about me, and no doubt that is a key reason for this unwillingness to make commitments to things that might cost us some time or money or work.
It is a destructive illusion to believe you are most free when you have fewer commitments. Jesus said truth will set you free, and if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. All of us long for freedom; it’s in our genes. But so often we just bark up the wrong tree to try to find it. The freedom that will bring satisfaction, contentment, and joy to your life is found in Jesus alone. But that freedom he gives us brings commitment with it, for to be a disciple of Jesus Christ is to relinquish our rights to him and decide we’ll be committed to doing his will.
Now, that should affect our everyday lives. When we’re faced with choices, when we’re asked to make commitments, our first thought should be, “What would Jesus want me to do?” We should ask ourselves, “Am I choosing my way or God’s way?”
When you took the job you now have, you made a commitment to that organization. Making that commitment gives you a paycheck, which affords you the freedom to pay your bills, buy some food and clothes, and keep yourself from being homeless! In the same way, we make a commitment to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and enjoy all the incredible benefits he brings into our lives, but it also brings a responsibility to be committed—to give our lives to others, to lose our life in order to find it.