Commitment

"Till death do us part." What!? Most people of this day and age seem to be scared of the idea of commitment. In fact, the word commitment doesn't even carry the same weight as it used to. People make commitments all the time because they feel they can get out of them so easy. Sure, I will help. Yea, I'll be there...as long as...

"From this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health." These are some serious words y'all! For better, for worse!? You now most of us look out for the better. We make a commitment to do something but as soon as it gets hard we bail. As soon as things get a little complicated we second guess what we are doing and start looking for a way out. Committing to something for the better or worse is a serious promise. Of course I am using wedding vows as an example of commitment but what about all the other commitments we make as well? As I stated before, the word commitment just does not carry the same weight as it used to. We all fall short of our commitments. The truth is we fall short because we are selfish and prideful people. If things aren't going our way we look for the back door.

What if I told you that rather than running from commitments we should all strive to make commitments. I don't mean go tell everyone that you're in and that you will do whatever. Don't do that. That will get you in some serious trouble. What I mean is, thoughtful commitments are great opportunities for character building. Marriage is like a training ground for becoming a greater man or women. Marriage is not always a fairy tale love story and the honeymoon doesn't last forever but if you approach it as an opportunity to grow, to love and to serve than you will conquer all those "worse" moments. Marriage is a great blessing from God and along with parenting one of the most sanctifying commitments you will ever make. On the "better" days you are loving life and full of inspiration and on the "worse" days (when approached with commitment) you are being sanctified into a better, stronger human being. In reality, overcoming the "worse" moments brings you much closer with your spouse and or children and makes your marriage or parenting all that much greater of a blessing.

Let's put marriage and parenting aside for a moment and think about what other kind of commitments we make. Do you make commitments? Are you honoring them? I challenge you to honor those commitments. If you don't have many commitments, I challenge you to make a commitment. Start small and go from there. A warrior knows what the word commitment means. A warrior defends his country and team to the point of death if needed. It is a true virtue of the warrior and as martial artist we should all strive to develop strong commitment. We may not have to defend our country to the point of death but the Lord calls us men to love our wives as Christ loves the Church. Christ died for the Church. We are also called to love the Lord God with all of our heart, all of our soul, with all of our mind and with all of our strength as well as love our neighbor as our selves. To lay down our lives (own interest, own gain, own motives) for the sake of others. Without the ability to commit you will never experience the joy and honor that comes from serving others while overcoming adversity.

One of the reasons I am offering the Clinch Combat Club and building the Clinch Combat Team is to give you the opportunity to commit and be a part of something greater. No one has to join the club or the team. It is not a requirement for all my students. It is not a money maker of any kind. In fact, I am also in the process of adjusting my rates and memberships to make training more affordable in a hard economy. The commitment is for your gain and for the gain of everyone you are committing to. It is an opportunity for character building and stronger friendship. If you don't make commitments than nothing great is truly achievable.

Just in case I worded anything wrongly, I do have a great wife and a great marriage! lol