Relentless Commitment

Six months have passed since I last posted on this blog. Life tends to move rather quickly. The last 6 months have kind of led to a crescendo; it seems that one thing Jesus has been teaching me through hardship, high demands, and spiritual dullness is this theme of commitment. Wouldn’t you agree that we make a lot of “commitments” in life without really committing? We make commitments to spouses, friends, our children, churches, employers, relatives, ourselves, gyms, etc. and a lot of times we fall short on those commitments. Jesus has been teaching me about commitment to people.

He is relentlessly committed to us:

“37 Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety.
38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
39 I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them.
40 I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.
41 I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.” -Jeremiah 32:37-41

“It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” – Deuteronomy 31:8

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20b

Just to list a few verses. There is a security and an assurance that one can have when you believe such promises. That’s important in life and relationship, right? Would you feel more secure in your relationship with a person if you knew that no matter what, they’re not going to throw in the towel with you when things get tough or if conflict and hardship come? I believe we are very much supposed to reflect God’s relentless commitment to us in our relationships with each other, especially those of the household of faith, and our relatives.

We should be able to say, “come hell or high water, I’m sticking it out!” And we should verbalize this to each other, often! This is how God treats His people, and for that, I am eternally grateful. I am thankful God is for me and is in my corner. Sometimes I have had to sit my son down when he’s exhibited bad behavior, look him in the eye, and assure him, “I’m not going anywhere! I’m committed to you, son, and I will always love you no matter what.” Because of God’s relentless commitment to me, I am then capable of that commitment to others. I do not carry this out flawlessly, but I think we should all, with at least some level of assurance, “feel” tangibly, this commitment to people. It’s a visceral thing.

This can be a wonderful and powerful way to display the Gospel in our relationships. Can I be so bold as to say that I think it is so integral to the life of a Christian, that this type of relentless commitment demonstrates to us whether we are actually Christians? How could we not love in such a way and say that His love abides in us? I’m not saying there aren’t legitimate, “outs.” But ultimately, you don’t have to always choose the “out,” just because you have one. Thank God he didn’t take his justified “out” when it came to me!