Daily Self Growth Journal Pt. IV

Commitment

“Commitment is a big part of what I am and what I believe.  How committed are you to winning?  How committed are you to being a good friend?  To being trustworthy?  To being successful?  How committed are you to being a good father, a good teammate, a good role model?  There’s that moment every morning when you look in the mirror:  Are you committed, or are you not?”  LeBron James

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.  Psalm 37:5

Piety:  “fidelity to natural obligations (as to parents)”  Merriam-Webster Dictionary

I’ve heard it said that three months of a certain action can engrain it into who we are.  I suppose that’s probably true.  It may not even be something we like or enjoy, but it becomes a habit, or a value.  The problem is that too often we commit to things without ever thinking about it.  Often times those things are the least important things to be committed to.  We commit to TV shows, to sports, to recreation, to fun.  Non of those things are bad by themselves, but are they a higher priority than family, God, service, love?  Most often not.  However, those things that are most important are often the things that get left behind.  Quality time with family rarely reaches the level of habitual practice.  Service almost never does.  And does God get a place above our favorite Sitcom?  It’s easy to make a commitment to entertainment.  It’s usually not even our decision.  How many times has someone thought to themselves, “I really need to commit to having some drinks?”  Can you even imagine?  But those types of commitments are the most popular ones.  We all have 24 hours a day to live.  Every one of those 24 hours is committed to something.  Be they sleeping, eating, working, or whatever.  Do you know what those things are?    We would all do better to understand our commitments.  It’s in understand our commitments we will begin to see our values.  We all want good values.  In fact most of us believe our values are good.  But do most of us even know our true values?  Like everyone else, the most valuable things in my life have come from commitments I had to actively and consciously make.  Enlisting in the Air Force and was a scary commitment, but it’s a job that has paid for much of what we have.  Getting married was exciting, but without commitment it could never work.  Buying a house is fulfilling, but it won’t last without a commitment to make the payments.  Serving the Lord is a commitment that doesn’t always come easy, but the reward is greater than anything else.  Like everyone else, I’ve let other people make commitments for me as well.  I’ve let TV shows become required activities.  I’ve let sports influence my happiness.  I’ve let entertainment of all sorts waste the majority of my time.  But it’s the commitments I consciously made that really changed my life in a meaningful way.  And I’m thankful that the majority of those conscious commitments influenced my life for the better.  What commitments are we making today?  Will they make a difference in our lives ten years from now?  Will we be happy we made them?  Above all, let’s commit to letting the Lord lead in our lives.  His way is the way towards life.  Without Him we are lost.  The Bible says, “There is a way that seems to be right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”  Proverbs 14:12  How many times have we though we were on the right track only to find that the pay raise wasn’t worth the money.  That time with family was really more important.  That God really knew what He was talking about in the Bible.  “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.”  Psalm 37:5

Daily Journaling Questions:

How did I help someone in kindness today?

What did I learn today?

What am I thankful for?

Who did I love today?

What am I dreaming of?

What about today do I want to remember forever?

What are my goals for tomorrow?

Thanks for reading,

Jake