Page 50 - Faith-Based Workbook 8-27-18

TOPUCU Adult Faith-Based Workbook
the sky, Lot’s wife looked back and instantly
she became a pillar of salt. She was unable to
burn the bridge. She was unable to let go of
her past life. And because of it she died.
"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God
in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV)
Admittedly, that’s a harsh example, but it
drives the point home. If you keep looking
back at your old life, you’ll continue to be
stuck in your old ways. If you don’t focus
on what’s in front of you, it will be difficult –
maybe even impossible – to reach your
goal of positive transformation. You must
burn the bridge.
Maybe you’ve heard of Team Hoyt. Rick
Hoyt was born in 1962 and shortly thereafter
was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and
confined to a wheelchair. Furthermore,
doctors suggested he be institutionalized for
the rest of his life. But his parents thought
otherwise and decided to work with him to
discover his full potential – whatever that
might be. When he was 11, his parents had
him fitted with a computer that enabled
him to communicate and it became clear
that Rick was quite intelligent. He began
attending public school and went on to
graduate from Boston University in 1993 with
a degree in special education. Undoubtedly,
an amazing accomplishment, but let’s focus
on what happened in 1977 when Rick asked
his father if they could run a race to benefit
a schoolmate who had become paralyzed.
His father, Dick, was 36 years old and
wasn’t a distance runner at the time, but he
decided to take his son out and push him
around the 5-mile course. Rick told his dad
that when he’s running it feels like he isn’t
handicapped. And that was the beginning
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of Team Hoyt. Dick Hoyt burned the bridge
to what his life may have become and
made a total commitment to his son Rick.
Let’s fast-forward to today. Rick and Dick
have competed in over 1,000 endurance
events; including 72 marathons and six
Ironman triathlons. And, in 2008, they were
inducted into the Ironman’s Hall of Fame.
The story of Team Hoyt is the epitome of
commitment and a prime example of burning
down the bridges that can impede the
process of moving forward toward positive
transformation. Are you holding on to things
that are keeping you from achieving the
goal you set for yourself in Lesson One of
this Starter Program? You need to continue
making steps in your progress just like Team
Hoyt did. As the old saying goes, “it’s one
step at a time.”
If you look up the word “commitment” you’ll
find it defined as, “an obligation that restricts
your freedom or your actions; a promise to
do something.” This is why so many people
are conflicted when it comes to this area
of the program. Total commitment usually
causes discomfort. And as we’ve talked
about many times in previous lessons, people
don’t like to be uncomfortable. Most will do
anything they can to avoid discomfort. But
as you learned in Lesson Three, “pain is a
must.” If you’re not feeling pain or discomfort
you’re not growing. And as you know, this
program is all about change and growth.
Commitment is a dying art. We know that
there are exceptions to this, but if you look
back throughout history you’ll read stories
about when a handshake was all that was
needed when an agreement or commitment
"Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will act." — Psalm 37:5 (ESV)
was made. Do you remember the principle,
“what you accept you teach?" Most people
today accept that commitment isn’t really
commitment. If they say they’re committed
to doing something, but then something
else comes along that they’d rather do, the
commitment is broken. Sure, we understand
there are emergencies that can bring about
a break in commitment, but that’s not what
we’re talking about. We’re talking about
an accepted idea that has been passed
down from generation to generation that
an individual’s commitment is dependent
on how that person feels at the time. The
acceptance of not finishing has become the
norm and not the exception. We continue
to keep the bridges to our past open just in
case the road we have chosen becomes too
difficult or challenging or uncomfortable. We
must change this way of thinking. We have
to build the word “commitment” back to its
true meaning. If you say you’re going to do
something, do it!
NOTES:
Lesson 7: Part 1
To conclude today’s lesson, let’s touch on
this interesting fable about a chicken and a
pig. One day the two of them were walking
down a path at the farm and the chicken
says to the pig, “The farmer has been pretty
nice to us. Let’s make him some ham and
eggs tomorrow morning.” The pig says to the
chicken, “That’s just a simple donation from
you but it’s a total life-changing commitment
from me.” Sure, this is an extreme way of
looking at it, but the point is clear: when you
make a commitment to change, the idea of
going backward cannot be an option.
Why don’t you be the one who changes
the definition of commitment? Be the one
in your family who looks forward and not
backward. Be the one among your friends
who chooses to be the finisher. Become the
one whom others can rely upon. Be the one
who burns the bridges to the past and forges
new paths toward a better future.
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