COMMITMENT OR COMPLACENCY?
A
motivational phrase used by Shearson Lehman Brothers and adopted by the Internal
Revenue Service is "Renewed Commitment". They said about commitment:
"Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that
speak boldly of intentions. And the actions which speak louder than words. It is
making the time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time,
year after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the
power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over
skepticism."
In
the business world there is a recognized need for both management and employees
to re-dedicate themselves to their jobs and the organization. Why? Complacency
is the primary reason. Human beings have a tendency to drift into patterns of
behavior where mediocrity is the norm. The "fire" leaves the spirit
and the energetic outlook that we once had is no longer there. Things still get
done, but not as well. Morale suffers, attitudes become more negative and
performance is marginal at best. We just try to get by, not really caring about
the quality product of our efforts. This is a real concern in other areas of
life as well. Many marriages fail for the same reasons. Family relationships and
friendships drift into stagnation for lack of concerted effort. Children see
complacency in their parents' lives and duplicate the behavior in their
schoolwork and personal lives. Rather than buckle down and work, we all tend to
look for the path of least resistance, stay comfortable and non-confrontational
and go through life avoiding anything that would involve substantial work and an
all-out effort to succeed.
Nowhere
is this outlook on life more prevalent and more dangerous than in our spiritual
lives. Dante said, "The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who
remain neutral in a time of moral crisis." Edmund Burke said, "All
that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing."
Jesus warned the church in Laodicea that they would be spit out of His mouth for
being lukewarm. (Revelation 3:14-16) In Luke 16:19-31. Jesus uses the parable of
the Rich Man and Lazarus to teach against indifference. The rich man was not
shown to be evil, but he apparently went to Hell for being indifferent. Our
Lord, also, told us that the pathway to Heaven is narrow and that few will find
the way. (Matthew 7:13-14) Jesus later taught that He did not come to bring
peace, but that He came with a sword. (Matthew 10:34) And the parable of the
talents in Matthew 25 and Luke 19 clearly teaches us that God expects us to
productively use our gifts and abilities and not just drift through life without
taking risks. God despises complacency and we must guard against it.
Commitment
is what Christianity is all about. Failure to consciously make a commitment to
Jesus and His eternal cause will result in the condemnation of our souls. This
is a fact. In John 8:42-48, Jesus says that anyone who does not learn His Word
and live accordingly are children of the devil. This leaves no middle ground, no
approval for straddling the fence on relevant issues and no room for
complacency. We must be committed to our spouses, to our children, to fellow
Christians and, above all, to God. We must be fully committed with all our
hearts and minds, relying on this commitment every time we make a decision. We
should periodically step back to re-examine our commitments to make sure that
our energies are focused as God would have them, and then be willing to change
our lives as necessary. Commitment or complacency? It is a lifelong challenge
that we must meet every day.
Richard Bartholomew