"Are You Committed?"

(I don't know what we were doing in this picture, but I don't think we were singing...!)
GT and me >>>----->

I was at the Shoesday morning shoe drop in Brandon on August 4, and got to meet Dan Brody and GT face-to-face. Since there were gaps in time between listeners dropping off new shoes for the orphans in Peru, I took a little time to get to know the guys a bit. Both are wonderful men, God-filled and very, very funny.

I introduced myself to them, and GT and I had a great conversation about the Lord, about getting fit and changing our lives to more healthy ones, caffeine addiction, quitting smoking (and chewing tobacco), marriage, emotional support, family, and everything in between. Yeah, Dan was working and we were chatting. And laughing and hugging, and talking, talking, talking.

Toward the end of my visit, GT looked deep into my eyes and asked, "Are you committed?"

It was like all time had stopped, and nothing around us was moving. Several things went through my head at the same time, and all in an instant. "Committed? To the Lord? To my marriage? To losing weight?" All in that instant, I determined that my answer to anyone of those was an unequivocal "YES!" He continued to hold my gaze for a few more seconds, and finally smiled, and said, "OK."

What GT meant by his question I don't know for sure, but I don't think it matters. I left the Chic-Fil-A and went on about my day, driving to one courthouse, sitting through an auction, driving to and attending a meeting with my boss, driving to the next courthouse, having lunch, sitting through another auction, driving to visit sister Kristin and getting her to cut my hair, and then finally to the gym and my workout. Most of the time I was thinking about GT's question. "Are you committed?"

I have to re-answer GT's question. Up to the instant he asked me, if I were honest with him my answer would have been, "Most of the time." Okay, if I were REALLY telling the truth, I should have said, "Part of the time."

After thinking about the question off and on all day, I figured it out. I don't have to be 100% gung-ho about everything all the time, but every day I need to answer GT's question. Am I committed? Do I really have what it takes to stick to my plan and stay determined to change my life to one that includes watching what I eat and exercising? Am I committed to making sure I take care of this temple that the Lord gave me? Can I stay committed to being worthy of the trust that has been placed in me? Can I commit to getting off my lazy butt regularly and consistently? Can I?

Jesus Christ made the ultimate commitment for us. He took all our wishy-washiness, self-justification, laziness, lying-to-ourselves-and-everybody-else, general and specific sinfulness, broken-ness, cussedness, and ugliness, and made it disappear. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit forgave us, forgives us always. He's waiting for us to make the commitment to Him, with His loving arms wide open to receive us. All we have to do is say "Yes."

. . . I had mentioned to GT in our conversation that I didn't know why we were HAVING this conversation, but that sooner or later I was bound to figure it out. GT, darlin', I think I got it. Of course I already knew GT was a kindred spirit; he got my analogy about Bill being the "bowl and spoon" right off!

Matthew West helps me out again as well, with his lyrics that hit home Tuesday: "...I don't wanna go through the motions; I don't wanna go one more day; without Your all consuming passion inside of me; I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,"What if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions? ... 'Cause just okay is not enough; help me fight through the nothingness of this life..."

I have a couple of Post-It Notes on mirrors in my bedroom and bathroom on which I wrote GT's question so I can see it every day.

...Are YOU committed?