Strong Commitment

My grandparents were husband and wife for nearly 70 years. They modeled what commitment looks like in marriage. They survived the Great Depression, multiple wars and 8 children. They were committed to each other. They eloped on Christmas day many years ago. I sometimes think of how deeply they were committed. Their wedding was small, but their commitment was huge. They didn’t over spend on the wedding, but really dug in to invest in their marriage.

I jumped into the book or Ruth this morning. This book is about the main character in the story. It starts out introducing her husband’s family. Her mother-in-law came to her hometown during a famine in Bethlehem. Ruth was from Moab, but she married one of Naomi’s sons from Bethlehem. Naomi lived in Moab for 10 years or so. During that 10-year period her husband died and later her two sons died. She and her two daughter-in-laws were trying to figure things out. Naomi got word that the famine in Bethlehem was over so she planned to go home. Through many tears and conversation, she tried to leave the two girls behind in their hometown. Orphah decided to stay, but Ruth was committed to taking care of her and staying with her. When Naomi tried once more to persuade Ruth to stay, it became obvious that Ruth was all in. Check this out…

16 But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.’ 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. (Ruth 1:16-18 NIV)

This is a beautiful passage about commitment. It seems in our culture or society that this level of commitment is non-existent. Over the years I’ve learned the value of loyalty and commitment. I know what it’s like to have someone break a commitment and it really hurts. I also have hurt others by breaking a commitment. Relationships are generally in need of deep commitment.

This passage demonstrates deep love accompanied by deep commitment. This type of love is the love that God wants me to dispense. He wants me to be committed to Him at this deep level as well. My wife and I have been married over 20 years. The commitment is really easy to keep on most days. There are days when there is tension, struggle and pain. The ebb and flow of relationships flourish inside commitment. I believe as I live out this level of love and commitment, the Lord really blesses and honors me. I’m thankful for the love and respect that is the foundation my relationships. I can’t imagine my life any other way.

Pressing On!

Dwayne