com·mit·ment

“If it’s worth praying for, it’s worth owning” This is a philosophy I’ve adopted and implemented in my life, yet I can’t remember when I started feeling this way. I guess it’s like so many ideas that worm their way into our lives, molding and shaping us into the people we are at the present time. They come through, education, people, places, articles, books, social media and musings from day to day.

I believe that if an idea, an action, a future goal, etc. is worth giving voice, then whatever that idea, action, goal, etc. is worth taking ownership of or for. To me this is the essence of commitment. Webster’s Online Dictionary defines Commitment as:

a:
an agreement or pledge to do something in the future; especially : an engagement
to assume a financial obligation at a future date

b:
something pledged

c:
the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled

With this definition in mind, it doesn’t address that “life” causes commitments to change and mold, and I’m not really talking about that, I speaking more towards the attitude towards making that commitment in the first place, giving it voice and sending it out to a god, or the universe.

When I was in ministry I heard people say many prayers. They prayed for forgiveness, strength, wisdom, patience, budgets, building funds, youth trips, etc. I myself did exactly the same thing. Looking back, it didn’t seem like ownership was taken for these prayers in my life or theirs. I would pray for forgiveness, but wouldn’t take ownership of that forgiveness. I would continually pray for strength and deny ownership that I might indeed be strong. In Iraq I heard the prayer for protection, but saw actions based in fear, doubt, insecurity that plagued us all. I don’t think I need to go on, I’m sure you get the picture.

We ask, or pray for success, but aren’t we obligated to work towards that goal? We ask for health, doesn’t that mean we need to take ownership in being healthy? We ask for a lot of things, and in doing so we have made a commitment to those things. Ownership of our lives, our actions, our words and deeds is the fulfillment of our statements we make to the universe or to any god we choose to pray to. In the end, when you continually ask, or pray for something, doesn’t that say something about the commitment you are willing to put forth, keeping it in words, leaves it as it is, just words.

I’ll leave you with two quotes I hold dear:

‎"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." ~Harriet Tubman~

“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it.” ~Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe~