Commitment

We are bombarded regularly with requests to commit ourselves to one endeavor or another. I receive requests at least once a week, if not once a day, to give my time, my energy, or my money to someone or something. There are those that ask me to support an orphanage or a missionary, or research to find a cure for this disease, etc. There are very few requests that I look at and think “Seriously, you want me to consider giving my time, energy or money towards that?”

Over the last several decades the idea of committing ourselves to something has been watered down. While working on my master’s degree one of my professors recommended a book titled Bowling Alone. The author looked at the changes in our country over the past 60+ years. When our troops returned home from World War II there was a surge in people becoming a member of a group, committing their life to being a part of something. Most people were members of just a few groups because of the commitment required of these groups. In the decades that followed membership requirements of many groups/organizations were softened so that more people could become a member of their particular group. The effect was for a short amount of time membership in most groups went up, but the long term effect is that commitment has gone down.

I can “commit” myself to hundreds of groups/organizations… I can be a “member” of countless things… For the most part, all it requires of me is to make a regular donation of my money. I can be a part of groups and never attend a function, as long as they have received my regular financial contribution.

But, committing ourselves to something, being a member of something should require more of us. We should be more selective about what we give our time, our energy, and our financial resources to. There are countless groups that want a commitment from us, that want our membership, but how many of these groups are we truly passionate about? How many do we really want to give our time to? How many do we intend to exert energy for? How many will use our financial resources for projects that make a difference, and we are passionate about?

We can commit ourselves to many things, but not truly be a part of anything. We can be a member of many groups but not make a difference anywhere. We need to be more selective of who gets our time, who gets our resources, etc. So that what we commit to aligns with those areas we are passionate about making a difference in.