Commitment

Last night we had a commitment service to declare as a group that we are ready to dive into the next 9 months as a team. The service was at the end of a day of prayer and fasting, which we were encouraged to spend in solitude. I did what seemed logical to me, and went to the closest thing I could find to Deerfoot. Turkey Mountain was not exactly a mountain, and was definitely not the Adirondack High Peaks, but it was nice to get back in nature. I spent the day in the woods doing a lot of thinking and praying about various things.

A few days ago I had a really cool conversation with one of the second year girls in the program. I was explaining to her some of my questions about prayer, more specifically the charismatic style of praying. I talked about different ways I felt I was being stretched, and different frustrations I was still trying to work through. The "conversation" consisted mostly of me talking at her, but when I did give her a chance to speak, what she said stuck with me. It was nothing new or profound, but I think I needed to hear it. She suggested that this was just an area where I need to grow. This might sound obvious, but in my mind, I had already done enough growing, and now it was time for God to divinely impart all knowledge and wisdom unto me. I guess God never got that memo. Anyway, I say all this to say that I spent a lot of my day alone praying about prayer. As ironic as that may sound, it was quite helpful.

The rest of my day consisted of reading parts of "The Reason for God," by Tim Keller (check it out, it's good), setting goals for the year, and taking random naps amongst the trees. One of the issues that was on my heart was to stop dwelling so much on all the rules of IMT, and to focus more on how I can pursue change in my own life. Nobody likes to follow a checklist of do's and don'ts, but I think if I can find a way to desire growth in certain areas, then I will be motivated to seek the necessary changes in my life. I think the same can be said for the Bible. Don't obey the Word to make God love you, obey the Word because God already loves you. It's the least I can do.

Everyone was asked to bring a statement of commitments to the service. We had a time of worship, communion, and prayer. At the conclusion, we were each given a ring to symbolize our commitment. I am not much of a jewelry guy, but I guess there's a first time for everything. I am hoping the ring will remind me of why I am here, and will keep me focused on growing in Christ. Diamonds are forever?