I will never forget the day as long as I live. It was Memorial Day weekend of 2000 and I, along with 40,000 others, had dedicated myself to a weekend of worship, prayer, fasting and learning at Shelby Farms in Memphis, Tennessee. The event was called OneDay and it was easily the spiritual highlight of my young life.
Vivid images flood my mind as I look back upon those three days. At one point, feeling so convicted over my own heart condition, I found myself face down in the soggy ground confessing my sins before an almighty God. Other instances found me dancing with hands raised in exultant praise to a glorious King. It was an emotionally exhausting weekend that centered on the theme of committing myself wholeheartedly to my maker.
Recently I watched the DVD of that weekend and the emotions from a half-decade previous come flooding back. Tears even began to flow as I realized the passion with which I had dedicated myself to God and how exciting that was.
I’m unsure what exactly gets lost in the translation of an event like this when I am forced to re-engage my daily life. I meant everything I said. I felt everything I felt. And I knew that as I was saying those things that I meant to carry it all over into the next week. But life happens. Soon that fire was gone, and with it, the commitment.
But when I reflect back or when I revisit the video, I realize that I still want that. I awaken to the idea that the longing to be that committed to the cause of Christ is still true. On a weekend where I pledged to go wherever God would send me and do whatever He commanded, I still have that same longing deep down.
While each day does not come with the fireworks of a weekend like OneDay, it does require the same inner commitment to the mission of God. My alarm clock doesn’t feature Chris Tomlin playing live worship with thousands of extra worshippers in the background to get me going in the morning. However, that day still requires me to mentally ascend to a place of choosing to fear God.
In such a fickle world, it is hard to be steadfast in our commitment to something or someone. It’s easier to live together than it is to get married. And in the spiritual realm, it is the same thing. Even as a pastor, I look forward to the next conference I can attend in the hope that some spiritual wind will blow to fan the flame of my diligence to the ministry God has given me.
Recently, I just became engaged and I am realizing with each day what this commitment means. It’s a beautiful thing to actively choose someone with each new day that comes. And in this relationship, I am finding that every time I see her, she is still actively choosing me and I am choosing her. While it is difficult at times and the emotions can fluctuate, it remains beautiful with its ability to stay the course.
This is the relationship we have with our Creator. While it may be difficult at times or the emotions can fluctuate, it is such a beautiful thing to be able to commit ourselves to God and His mission. We can actively choose him. Why? Because He actively chose us before the beginning of all things.