Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Commitment

I heard a piece of information tonight that is alarming to me. Not like, life and death alarming, but a bottom dropping out of a commitment that I thought I had from someone. A clarifying conversation is happening this week, so hopefully it was just a "heat of the moment" type of thing. We'll see.

Commitment: a pledge or promise; obligation
If you're going to do something then do it. Follow through, follow up. Serving isn't always fun, it is rarely glamorous. Sure, it's exciting when you're in the beginning stages and everyone's pumped and running the race to launch successfully. But then comes the few months that follow, if you're lucky the years that follow. The times when you have to create your own excitement. When you have to as a leader (yeah I know, I'm still in the months stage...) motivate other people and carry them along if they need it, and give them permission to move on if God's calling them elsewhere. There are times when you have to have conversations that aren't fun and perform the menial organizational and background tasks that don't include cuddling the cute kids and standing in the best "serving spot" behind the soup kitchen counter.
To me, that's when the dirt hits the road (or is it mud hits the highway? I so don't even know where that analogy is going). That's when people show me that I can count on their commitment no matter what. That's when I feel like I really see into people's hearts.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Okay, okay, I get it! You want me to post more often.

All joking aside, I'm sorry that someone pulled out of a commitment on you.

Maybe in one of your conversations with Ben (I think that's his name?), you could bring up the subject and pick his brain a little.

I don't mean for you to "tattle" on this person at all. You don't even have to mention the name or anything. But as a more experience leader, and one of your mentors, maybe he would have some advice on how to prevent this from happening.

Not that you'll have to make people sign a binding contract when they agree to do something, but maybe he has experience with having his eyes open to a similarly "qualified" person who could stand in for someone should they pull out unexpectedly for any reason.

Hope you're having a great day, my dear...