How to be An Iron Man
Can you imagine going to work every day for 16 years without missing a day? His job was not a normal 9-5 job but was a job that required him to perform at the highest levels. He didn’t take a sick day, or just a day off to rest. No, he showed up and did his job for 16 straight years. And he did his job with excellence and is still considered one of the best in the history of his profession. His name is Cal Ripkin Jr. Cal Ripkin was a starting infielder for the Baltimore Orioles who played 2,632 consecutive games and collected more than 3,000 hits. Aptly, his nickname is “Iron Man” and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Now I don’t know about you but showing up and doing your job at such level for 16 straight years without a break takes serious commitment. This month we will be looking at just that, commitment. So whether you play major league baseball, work as an executive or an artist, in order to succeed as a leader, you must have commitment. This week I want to look at one aspect of commitment which is that commitment helps us persevere through difficulties.
It helps me preserve through the difficulties in my marriage.
Anyone who has been married for more than a year can vouch for the fact that marriage is hard work. I mean marriage is a paradox. It is a relationship that in order for it to be successful must be other-centered; putting her needs above your needs, and yet we are sinful, selfish human beings. And so there is going to be difficulties in our marriages. There are going to be times where she isn’t in the mood for loving or does things that drive you up a wall and make you angry. And yes there are times when we are jerks and we get called on it and it doesn’t make us happy. There are times when we are oblivious to her needs and we hurt her. Marriage is hard work but it is the commitment that we made on our wedding day when we said, “I do” that helps us to preserve through the difficulties in our marriages. It is the commitment to continue to grow and not to quit that helps us have successful marriages that glorify God.
It helps me persevere through the difficulties in my relationship with God.
Just like any relationship our relationship with God has it’s ups and downs. Obviously the ups and downs are not on God’s end of the relationship but on ours. Sometimes we feel so close to Him and connected with Him and other times we feel like He is a million miles away and hasn’t heard a word we have said. But my commitment to my relationship with God helps me through those “dry periods”, when he seems silent and far away. Commitment helps me to keep my mind and my ears open to His voice even if I think He is silent. Commitment keeps me kneeling in His presence and reading His Word even when I don’t feel like it. Commitment helps remind me that He loves me with an everlasting love and that He will never leave me or forsake me even when I mess up. Ultimate commitment is the love He showed me by living, dying, rising and coming back for me even though I don’t deserve it. My commitment to God helps me even when it seems like He is silent and my prayers seem not to get any further than the ceiling.
I am sure there were some days that Cal Ripkin Jr. felt like he wanted a break especially when he was injured. And yet, his commitment to his teammates and to the game of baseball, took him out of the dugout to the diamond every day for 2,632 games to give his best to the game of baseball. Commitment for me helps to overcome those difficulties in life and allows me to give my best to the game of life.
Conversation
What areas of your life do you have a hard time with commitment?
What can you do to be more committed in those areas of your life?