My generation has a problem with commitment. They're always looking for a "way out" of something. Maybe it's a human problem, but it definitely seems to be a pandemic that runs rampant in my twenty-something peers.
 
Commitment - Way Out
It's an ugly thing -- this tendency to find a way out of every tough situation, to seldom come thrpugh for those expecting it. We need to learn to commit -- if not for others' sake, then for our own.
 
The entire New and Old Testaments are based on the idea that God makes covenants with men, and men, in turn, make covenants with God and each other.
 
There is something spiritual, it seems, in the simple transaction of trust in the form of a handshake or verbal agreement between two people that cannot be overlooked.
 
It's sad that so many young people haven't learned to commit yet and, moreover, that they haven't discovered the hidden blessing it offers.
 
I struggle with it myself. It's hard to be an adult -- to do all those things that I thought would instantly make me a "sell-out" (i.e. paying bills, working 40 hours per week, etc.) But little by little, I'm learning the value of being forced to show up for things, to come through for people, and to stick around long enough to see real change happen.
 
In fact, much of my maturing in the past few years has come about through struggle. The only thing that's allowed me to see victory on the other side has been my choice to commit. It seems reasonable to expect the same in other people's lives. Most of the time, this works. When I see someone who hasn't grown up yet, it's often that they have no signs of struggle in their life. When someone has lived a fruitful life, it's typical to hear how they resolved to do this or that, regardless of the circumstances or how they felt at a certain time.
 
Along these lines, as timely as ever, Seth Barnes posted a blog yesterday on the topic of helping people make commitments.
 
One of the best comments on the blog said:
 
Our church has a teaching that speaks to this lack of commitment in not just the younger generation but in our culture overall.

Kevin Myers calls it the A zone B zone Q zone. The A zone is the fun part of all new projects or commitments. The new project is full of excitement and possibilities.

In time we hit the B zone and that is when the excitement plateaus and the problems surface, discipline is required and the fun part is over.  Often people decide that when the going gets tough, they should get going on another project. Something that allows them to feel the energy of another A zone.

So instead of experiencing the joy of a finished work (C zone) they go to Q zone which stand for Quitting.

I find it is helpful to walk young people through the truth of what they will experience so when they hit the B zone they are prepared to push through to the joy of the C zone.

We as the older generation have the responsibility of having as many C Zone examples to show the next generation.
 
Seth Godin calls this "the dip." It's the necessary downside you have to endure in something -- anything -- in order to experience the ultimate satisfaction of success in it.
 
Whatever you call it, it's great advice. And we need more struggle in our lives, because struggle shapes our character. And character dictates who we will we be and how we will act. So, committing to something, for a Christian, is a necessary part of sanctification, the process of becoming more holy.
 
How do you struggle with commitment?
 
Or... How do you model the "C Zone" for others?