Of Pigs & Chickens: A Tale of Commitment
Commitment.
What does commitment look like? Consider the image of a stereotypical American breakfast, below – prepared and consumed at a diner like you might find in thousands of small towns across these United States. Depending on the level of detail you’d like to entertain in this scenario, at least four parties will display some level of commitment in the lifecycle of this breakfast:
1) The Chef commits anywhere from 10-30 minutes of his or her time, investing a commensurate portion of both expertise and experience.
2) The Customer commits 30 minutes, seven dollars, and perhaps a little real estate on an artery wall.
3) The Chicken commits 24 hours to the formation and delivery of each egg.
4) But the Pig… The Pig pours everything into this meal.
Perhaps you’re reading this and you’re a vegan – in which case you might choose to distance yourself from this post – but if you’ve made it this far, you’ve earned some elaboration – it’s easy to say we’re committed to our personal, professional, and spiritual priorities, but does our commitment look more like the Chicken – a contributor – or are we ‘all in’ like the Pig? Hopefully our aspirations are greater than to become the focal morsel of a fabulous breakfast, but my point is this:
True commitment requires sacrifice – the degree to which we are willing to sacrifice is directly proportional to the value we’ve attributed to the target of our commitment.
Need a bit more direct definition of commitment? Here are a few words from Jesus, Himself, about what commitment looks like for the Believer (WARNING: This is not the stuff they typically put on Hallmark greeting cards):
“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” – Luke 14:25-28, 31, 33 NIV