Conveniently Commited?

"As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." 2 Kings 2:2b

Think about what drives you. As a mother, I imagine, if you're like me, you are driven by a fierce love for your children. Your blood, sweat, and tears go into the protecting, educating, growing, and loving of your tiny humans. You pray over their physical bodies, their earthly relationships, their salvation and life choices their after. You dream big dreams for them and you would do anything to help ensure that not only they are happy, but that their lives are continually full of good things.

Initially upon reading 2 Kings 2: 1-18, I connected to Elisha ' s dedication and persistence from a maternal perspective. Several times in the past, our little lady has experienced night terrors and during those challenging moments I just hold her close to me, waiting for the moments to pass and her sweet sleep to return. Countless times I can remember saying, "I'm here. I will never leave you." I've said this for every little heartbreak, frightening moment and cuddle. I am committed to my children, no matter what.

As I dove deeper into the scripture, I realized that my perspective was slightly skewed and my view shifted from maternal to spiritual. Elisha was so persistent in following Elijah because of his commitment to God. He wanted to absorb all that he could from the saintly profit while he was still in his presence. Elisha knew his time with Elijah was drawing to a close and he felt the urgency. 

Elisha knew God had work waiting for him and he was committed to following it through. He was passionate about learning what God had for His people. Despite being told he could stay, he followed anyway.

We need to pursue God with the same commitment and passion. When the world tells us we can become lax, we need to remain steadfast. We cannot be committed to God's purpose when it's convenient. Think of it like this. You start your laundry. You are motivated. All of the clothes are sorted and ready to be washed. You see the first load through, start to finish. You put in the next load and after washing, they are tossed in the dryer. You start another load and you move onto making dinner. After dinner you throw the dried clothes in a basket to fold later. One thing after another begins to occupy your time. You keep throwing in loads to the wash and dryer but the clothes only make their way into the basket or onto the couch. Before you know it, you have mounds of wrinkled good intentions. 

If you had stayed focused and committed to your task, everything would be in order. Our commitment to God is similar. We cannot do His work when it's convenient. We can't say we'll get back to it later. Our missed blessings just pile up and His work that was meant for us doesn't get accomplished. 

I want my children to see me pursuing God wholeheartedly, despite what the world may deem inconvenient. I do not want them to ever think that halfway serving God is okay. I want them to see that my love for Him is a vibrant, driving force and that my commitment to Him is one that I will see through to the end.

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