Family Commitment

Family

Commitment

What is the scariest word you can think of?

There are a lot of scary words

When I think of scary words the one word that stands out to me is 

Commitment

Commitment is a scary word

But a word of great value

Commitment measures integrity

Commitment demands not giving up

Commitment requires us to think better of others than ourselves

Commitment does not know the word divorce

Commitment finds a way to bring peace and joy

Commitment may be a scary word but is not a bad word

In the end, our life will be evaluated by the commitments we made

Don’t let fear keep you from being a person of commitment

Commitment

What is the scariest word you can think of?

Cruel, dangerous, demonic, evil, hell?

Or, maybe “We have to talk”

or “Did you clean your room?”

Things that put fear in us and make

us scream, jump, hide, and run?

There are so many scary words

that we live in fear and distrust.

Many of us like to think we are strong…

 We can go through a house of horror or watch

a horror movie and not scream or lose sleep.

When I think of scary words the

one word that stands out to me is…

 

Commitment

The state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.

synonyms:

dedication, devotion, allegiance, loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity, bond, adherence, attentiveness

Commitment is so scary

because it gives no way out.

It holds us and binds us.

It removes freedom.

Commitment is a choice

that trumps all other choices.

I have to confess I am very

careful about making commitments.

I would rather show up at the party than

tell you a month ahead of time I will be there.

We cannot be successful in

life without commitments.

Some commitments are

short term, others are for life.

Most of us want the freedom to change

if we do not like the commitments we made.

The growing number of couples

who want to live with each other is

a result of the fear of commitment.

Marriage is a commitment

until death do us part.

Yet for many who make the commitment to marriage,

find divorce the way out of a marriage

when it did not turn out as they had hoped for.

The norm for Sandy and I was to grow

up in a family separated by divorce.

Sandy and I both love our moms and dads.

We have watched the time go by and

seen the results of broken commitment.

Now looking at a life time where my mother

and father passed from this life and

Sandy’s father has also gone on to be with

the Lord, we can put some things together.

We believe the difficulties they would have

had to face to make the marriage work, far out

way the pain and suffering they each went

 through in life after the divorce.

We had never asked our parents if it would

have been better to have remained married.

 But the things they have shared with us

give us the confidence that they would

have been better off to have worked

through the issues of the marriage

than the issues of life after divorce.

It takes commitment to get married.

 That commitment seems to be much more than

we ever thought as we live out the marriage.

There are some commitments that

should have never been made.

But when we made the marriage covenant…

 That commitment is a commitment

God allows you to enter into.

Whatsoever God has brought

together let no man separate.

The option from God’s Word

for divorce is very limiting.

Reconciliation is always God’s choice.

My wife did not marry the

most perfect person in the world.

There have been times it has been

a struggle for her to live with me.

   But her choice to stay focused on

working through the issues has

given our family a better life.

If our parents had never divorced

they would have had a better life.

Children they brought into the

world would have had better lives.

Commitment is a scary word.

But a word of great value.

Commitment measures integrity.

Commitment demands not giving up.

Commitment requires us to think

better of others than ourselves.

Commitment does not know the word divorce.

Commitment finds a way to bring peace and joy.

Commitment may be a scary

word but is not a bad word.

In the end, our life will be evaluated

by the commitments we made.

Don’t let fear keep you from

being a person of commitment.

We should remember our

first commitment is to God.

We should also remember

that is our last commitment…

  

 And everything in between.

Every marriage that keeps

this in focus will find the love,

forgiveness and all the other

needs for the married couple.

 

Scripture Reading

Mark 10:5-9 NIV

5 "It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. 6 "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.'   7'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,   8 and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 

Malachi 2:16 NIV

16 "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel,

Matthew 5:31-32 NIV

31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce .'   32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.