COMMITMENT AND COURAGE

“Rise up…take courage and do it.” Ezr 10:4 NIV
Terry Fox ran across Canada and raised twenty-four million dollars to fight cancer. What’s amazing is that he did it with one leg; cancer had taken the other. He planned to run twenty-six miles each day but because of severe headaches, snow and icy roads, after a month he’d only managed to struggle about eight miles a day. So why did he keep going? Because the purpose in his heart was stronger than the pain in his body. They could amputate his leg, but not his spirit! Commitment is a willingness to do whatever it takes; it’s a promise to yourself, from which you refuse to back down. There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested you do it only when it’s convenient, but when you’re committed you accept no excuses—only results. Only you can decide whether the rewards are worth the effort, for there are tradeoffs. You can’t have a healthy body and live on junk food. A guaranteed salary is nonexistent when you start your own business. Mindless hours of watching television and straight “A’s” are a rare combination. Commitment means paying your dues. It also means disregarding your critics. Jesus did that. “But Jesus ignored their comments and said…‘Don’t be afraid. Just trust me’” (Mk 5:36 TLB). Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “Whatever course you decide upon, there will always be someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”

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