“The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating – in work, in play, in love.  The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation.  To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.” – Anne Morriss

I enjoy reading these.  As frequently as I hit up Starbucks (it doesn’t matter which one) you’d think I’d have some many of these running through my head that I couldn’t keep them straight.  Fact is, I don’t tend to retain them too long.  Usually they’re nice general statements about life or a particular situation, but today this one stuck out.

Commitment is something SO hard for people today.  We’re willing to pay ridiculous fees to get out of our cell phone contracts early so we can get new iPhones.  The divorce rate is through the roof.  In the age of “everything is available right now,” the culture has pushed us off into crazy depths of non-commitment.  But, Anne (who is apparently just a random SBUX customer in NYC) nails it on the head.  Commitment frees us.

This morning I sat with my grandfather for a few hours.  Quite literally, a saint of a man.  Thin framed, glasses, big smile, bigger heart, great laugh and all.  I’m in ministry because of him.  He’s been a constant teacher, mentor, and friend to me.  He’s always been here… and there for us when we need him.  He’s taking up this mantle yet again with me by helping me work through my ordination process… that extra set of eyes, ears, heart & mind helping me figure out a little more about ministry and the role I play in it.  It was a great conversation… helped me realize even more the balance we play between the the elder traditional/modern thought and the younger post-modern minds of today.

But, beyond the help, I saw commitment embodied in this man today.  My grandmother is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.  The woman that would regularly make us stacks of pancakes could barely eat half the package of instant oatmeal and half the banana she was fed.  It’s been a steady progression, and he’s been there all the way.  I’ve always heard of people “having enough” and using nursing homes as a last resort.  He never will.  Because years ago he committed to “for better or worse… sickness and health.”  And, he meant it.  As difficult as it can be to see, it’s a beautiful picture.

If we all could live our lives this way.  Sticking to commitments.  Following through from start to finish.  Little things and big things.  I don’t always follow through the way I’d like.  Most of the time I just get side tracked… like a fish distracted by shiny objects.  But, it’s not an excuse.  I can take a lesson from what I saw today.  Yet another lesson from Grandpa.

He still calls her, “Baby.”