For my part, I am not one who makes commitments easily nor do I lie about doing so to others and especially to myself. Therefore, this week will prove a struggle. Having given us poker chips each week to symbolize the pledge to go All In, I am faced with what I will do next Sunday. Am I really willing to go All In? I could claim to have done so, who would know? I can with little difficulty look like millions who define themselves as Christians but do not act Christ-like. Except, I would know.
I can remember a night so long ago when churches had what were called revivals, a week of services that challenged people to commit to Christ, recommit or resolve to go deeper into the faith. A guy I considered at the time my very best friend was faced with the reality of what he should do. But his father, a man he admired more than anyone, stood at the point of decision. As our teenage youth group watched a few feet away, my friend’s father struggled with the decision. In the end, he chose not to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. I do not know what ever happened to the older man, but his son who was ready to take that step in faith, saw his father reject the opportunity and did the same. We drifted apart after high school and I do not know what became of him.
The point is that the choice of one individual is never just their choice. It affects others around them in ways they might never know. That is quite a burden for a man searching his soul for an answer as to what he will do.