In high school, I took exactly one “shop” class to fill some gap in my schedule and get a break from more difficult classes.
I signed up expecting little homework or studying and mostly goofing off with a class full of boys and a male teacher. Sadly, I remember nothing I learned or that we did in class that year except for one thing – how to weld. I doubt I even knew what welding was before that year. And it was completely out of my comfort zone to lower a huge black mask over my face and handle a burning hot stick to melt together pieces of metal. But oddly enough, I found that I loved it. And even more surprising, I was pretty good at it. There was something gratifying about slowly, steadily moving the welding rod and creating an unbreakable bond. Whatever I put together was permanent.
Throughout my life, I have kept this love for permanency. I am not perfect, but I am passionate about commitment. And it grieves my heart when people break their promises and relationships. It’s so common in our society today, isn’t it? We give up on our New Year’s resolutions by February. We leave our churches when there’s a conflict. We file for divorce because we’re not happy or having our needs met… never mind those “til death do us part” vows. And on social media our fan club often cheers us on. “Good for you!” they say, “You deserve to be happy!”
I can’t help but worry about the effect this lackadaisical view of commitment is having on our kids. If we can’t keep on keeping on when things get difficult, why should they? Why should they finish the season with their team, stay in school, or save sex for marriage? These commitments are hard but they are worth it!
I love what Jesus says through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 50:3. On the cross he is beaten, mocked, and spat upon but says, “I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will.”
That is commitment. Jesus could have easily summoned angels to take him off the cross or hidden so he wasn’t arrested or never come to earth at all, yet he was determined to do the Father’s will and to follow it all the way through. He is our example.
[verse reference=”Hebrews 12:2-4″]Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.[/verse]
Staying committed to our marriages, to our children, to our churches, or to our ministries may be the hardest thing we do in life. But we have not yet given our lives in the struggle. With God’s help, we can set our face like a stone, or a strong weld. We can bear our cross while we wait for our crown.
It may never be easy, but it will be worth it.
God has promised that Heaven waits at the finish line, and He never breaks a promise.
Kelcie Huffstickler has a B.S. in Journalism from Arkansas State University and has written for a number of family publications and websites. She and her high-school-sweetheart hubby have been married for seven years and parents for four. They have two daughters, Eden and Selah, and sometimes feel like they’re swimming upstream in the toddler years. Kelcie’s husband is a firefighter, and she works part-time as a high school abstinence education instructor. Despite feeling overwhelmed by this stage of life, Kelcie is committed to intentional parenting and passing a heritage of faith to her children. She enjoys living among family in the safety of a small town and writes about it on her blog This Beautiful Inheritance. @Kelciehuff