This week’s short message by Pastor Eric Stetson. Watch the video or read text below.
It’s difficult to be committed. Commitment means doing something we don’t necessarily want to do, but we do it because it’s right — and we don’t do it just once, or twice, but we do it over and over again, as long as it takes to see the positive results we were expecting when we made the commitment in the first place.
Whether it’s wearing a mask during a pandemic, or practicing a spiritual path to keep your soul healthy, there’s nothing more important than being committed to doing the things that make a difference.
Sometimes it takes a long time to see the results of our commitments. In Aesop’s Fables, there’s a story called “The Crow and the Pitcher,” about a thirsty crow who drops stones into a pitcher of water so that the water level will rise high enough to be able to drink. That crow might have to drop a lot of stones into the pitcher before it can quench its thirst.
It’s like that with spiritual growth — sometimes it takes a long-term commitment to doing the right thing before we feel like we’re really drinking deep of the living waters of God. To reach our full potential, we should be committed to a life of prayer, participation in a community of faith, and doing good works for our brothers and sisters in the human family.
For Christians, the season of Lent is a good time to experiment with making stronger religious commitments. In this season, it’s appropriate to test the limits of your faith and discipline.
But in life in general, it’s important to remember the virtues of wisdom and moderation. Make only the commitments that are really worth it. And don’t promise to do extreme and fanatical things you can never live up to — make only the commitments you can keep. That’s how to make real spiritual progress.