Commitment

Dated 1st June 2015

Over the last one year, I have had the opportunity to travel to different places of the country. During these travels, I have met many people, who have motivated, inspired, encouraged, and guided me along my way. It is through these journeys that I had the blessing of interacting with people who have personified COMMITMENT. I am amazed to know that these “heroes” make our movement what it is.

I know of a young woman who made a choice to move to a place far from her home where the mission is very challenging. I know of a young man who was elected to be part of a Jesus Youth team chose to leave his hometown, his family, his comfort zone and moved to another city to a department which is not pleasing in the commoner perspective. I know of several young people who have made various sacrifices of dying to their own comforts without any complaints. This commitment is the result of the love they have experienced.

What is commitment? Is it something that you do when you have a specific responsibility? Or does it simply mean leaving behind your family and doing something that someone wants you to do?

I think commitment is more than all this. Commitment for and towards the Kingdom of God is a continuous and consistent investment of efforts without knowing rewards. It is a difficult task to invest our efforts not knowing if there will be any reward at all. It becomes even more difficult when there are obstacles which might slow down the pace at which we are working. But a truly committed person will be willing to pay the price and will also stay focused on the demanding mission.

Commitment is not giving up easily, we all have reasons to give up and we have them in plenty. But what is often required of us is to take a step back and ask what is that one reason that I have to take up this commitment for and that one reason should be the person of Jesus.

Our movement is blessed with several such committed people. There are several heroes in our movement who die in different simple ways on a daily basis. They would have lost several material rewards but they have experienced the inner peace and received a joy that inflames their life and their families and I firmly believe that there are many blessings waiting to happen in their lives.

Beginning from this commitment day, let the victory that the Lord gave us on the cross, the life history of our saints, the richness of our Church and the life of the heroes of our movement be a source of inspiration for each one of us to stay committed to the Lord all through our lives.