{Commitment}

You know...good relationships don’t happen by accident. They take lots of work and a lot of time. AND that equals commitment!

I looked up the word {Commitment} and here is what I found.
:The state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity or obligation.

: a promise to do or give something
: a promise to be loyal to someone or something

: the attitude of someone who works very hard to do or support something

:an agreement or something pledged

We live in a world that the word (commitment) has absolutely no meaning. Instead the motto is "Do what you want, when you want and how your want".  

People don't commit to their jobs anymore. According to stats in the year 2013, 40% quit their jobs within the first 6 months of being employed for one reason or another.  

According to stats 4 out of every 7 people that committed to serve on a committee quits or falters on their commitment within the first year regardless of whether it is a cooperate setting or on a much smaller scale.

According to stats a Census data cited in a 2014 stated that 50.5% of marriages ended in divorce and Huff Post stated that in 2012, as many as 70 % of couples lived together before they got married, compared to 10 % in 1960. Clearly, times have changed!

It all goes back to the word COMMITMENT or lack of COMMITMENT. The sad thing today seems to be the "lack of commitment"and do you know what is even sadder? There isn't much difference today between a non-believer and a believer when it comes to "Commitment".

There are numerous references in the Bible addressing the Christian’s commitment in various aspects of life: to our families, neighbors, employers, the church, our health, and in all things we do and say but the Bible also teaches that the chief commitment of our lives is to God Himself. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment”     Matthew 22:37-38.

I love Galatians 6:9. It says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up". That one verse pertains to so much in life including marriage. Marriage isn't easy. When I became engaged to my husband my granny said, "Baby, I've never worked on car but I would say that marriage is a lot like a car. In order to keep it running and in good shape you have to constantly be working on it and taking care of it". WOW! Simple but yet profound words that make a lot of sense! 

My husband and I will both tell you that years ago at one point in our marriage it would have been so much easier to walk out of our marriage than to stay in it. Because of God's grace and mercy He taught us that we were on the same team, fighting for the same cause and not against one another.Our real enemy was Satan. Is it easy? NO...NO...NO! Is it worth it? YES...YES...YES and OH YES!

"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." (Romans 12:10, NLT)  This is what we have learned to do and still learning along life's way. 

Priscilla Shirer says it best in her new book Fervent in which I highly recommend everyone of every status to read.

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(She isn't just speaking on marriages here but to family in general)

He (meaning Satan) targets our role as wives, targets our husbands and targets our children. He brings dissension, infuses tension, unravels our sense of peace with disunity. Because ultimately he wants to destroy our families---all of our families---so that the billboard message they're designed to project to the world is a picture that is, at best, laughable.  

She also says, "If I were your enemy. I'd seek to disintegrate your family and destroy every member of it. I'd want you to tear away at your trust and unity and turn everyone's love inward on themselves. I would make sure your family didn't look anything like it's suppose to be. Because then people would look at your Christian marriage, your Christian kids, and see you're no different, no stronger than anybody else---that God, underneath it all, really doesn't change anything.   

If we'd be honest here's the thing....the root of every discord in life is the enemy! For the Unbeliever as well as the Believer. 

I know that some of you reading this today have tasted the ugliness of divorce. NO ONE WINS in the situation. I have friends that took every avenue possible to make it work and it ended in divorce. The thing is: you cannot make someone love you. LOVE IS A CHOICE!

Today, we celebrate 38 years of marriage. 38 years ago at 7:00 pm in the evening we made a commitment. 

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The old cliche' says, "It takes two to make it work". Well, I disagree.....IT TAKES THREE TO MAKE IT WORK! 

With our union of marriage God has blessed us with three daughters, three soninloves, four grandchildren and one on the way. He has blessed us through times of laughter and times of mourning. He has blessed us with joy and He has kept us in hard times. He has been faithful to us even when we weren't faithful to Him. My prayer is that God will grant us many more years of marriage together. Years to make mistakes, years to laugh, to love, to cry and to keep hanging on...to ONE ANOTHER as we hang onto Jesus. 

Hugs and blessings, Cindy