18 February | Youth
«If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.» Numbers 30:2
Commitment means dedication, total consecration to a cause. Anyone who is committed devotes their entire life to an ideal. In our daily lives, people generally don't want to commit to anything. I think this is why the world is so bad.
In an old advertising campaign, called “São Tomé test,” someone went out on the streets with a box of laundry detergent and offered the ladies the new product: “Do you want to try it? No strings attached!”
This powder laundry soap was pretty unknown, and no one thought it could be more effective than bar soap. Today, few people wash clothes the way our grandmothers did. Habits have changed. The new product brought benefits to housewives. But the proposal to experiment without commitment has become a common practice.
The boy ends a relationship after six years and says: “I had no commitment.” Contracts are not respected. Words have no value. Children don't want to obey. Students don't want to pay the price. People at work don't respect working hours. Some get married and separate within a few weeks. These are people who never learn the value of commitment. These people will never grow.
We see the same thing in the church. Baptismal vows are not respected by some. Many people do not take the Christian life seriously; however, only when there is commitment there is growth. The moment you commit, you begin to change. Commitment absorbs your time, resources, talents and energy.
God considers commitment something sacred. The Bible makes it clear that we are responsible for the sanctity of our decisions. For the Lord, it is better to have a heart that obeys than a mouth that promises and does not fulfill. It is not a sin to make a vow or not to make one, but once made, it becomes obligatory (Deut 23:21-23). If you made a vow to the Eternal One, keep it. And remember: we only grow when we commit.