Commitment

“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No’” –Matt. 5:37

“Say no to commitment. No contract. No deposit. No credit check.” When I was in Texas last week, and I saw this writing on a billboard, I just had to pull over and take the picture. Of course, this refers to a cell phone plan, but it pretty much applies to most everything the days. Like someone said, “signing a contract means little to this post-modern generation. If they break an agreement, it’s no big deal.”

This lack of commitment and being “real” is at the core of the decline of our economy and of the family. What’s wrong with a credit check? Truth is, if they did the credit check, they’d find out that many couldn’t afford the cell phone or the house or the car. So they’d have to wait. They’d have to plan. They’d have to save. They’d have to be responsible.

What happened to the days when a handshake was enough? What happened to the days when the phrase “prenuptial agreement” wasn’t needed? Where did the quality of “stick-to-it-iveness” lose its appeal? It actually “jumped ship” when a generation of baby boomer parents took over the helm. These parents who were overly provided for as young adults, reared kids with little appreciation for commitment. The flexible “hippie mode” was their choice as teenagers but didn’t carry over well as they became parents.

So, this generation of teenagers struggles to learn to simply “stay, wait and save.” Marriage rates decline, job rates decline, while foreclosure’s rise.

But as always, there is hope. It’s never too late as parents to teach the attribute of commitment to our teenagers. This area is definitely more “caught than taught.” Our kids usually mimic what they see in us. If we give our word, we stick to our word. If we say we’ll be there at 4:00pm, we get there at 3:55pm. If we volunteer to help at school, we shoe up at school and help. If we tell our teen that spending time with God is important, then we get up early and we have a Quiet time. It’s important to “do what we say.”

Point is, we “practice what we preach.” Yep, being a parent is easy. Being a parent that makes a difference is hard work. But, with God’s strength, He’ll give us all the wisdom we need. Because you see, His commitment to us will never waver. God says, “yes” to the commitment of His love for us. He will help us as parents. There are no guarantees, but as we’re faithful and committed, we’re doing all we can do.

By Joseph Staples ©