The start of a New Year brings about much discussion of resolutions, goals, plans, objectives and getting ourselves motivated to make this year better than the last.

Clearly, the year ahead is on my mind because I’ve already written two blogs in the past few weeks about making plans and moving on.  Honestly, I thought 2013 was actually okay, but I guess I want to make sure I stay on track and keep producing instead of idling.

Today, I thought it would be practical to contemplate what causes us to essentially DO something better today…that we didn’t do, complete or even attempt yesterday.

Since the topic of today’s post is commitment, I would dare say you’ve already guessed what I think the cause is!  Yep, you’re right.

Our commitment or lack thereof makes the significant distinction between success and failure.

Zig Ziglar said it best with, “It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through. “

On a daily basis, we all have choices to make.  The first being whether we stay in bed and snuggle the day away or do we jump up and get started! (Today it’s raining in Austin, so staying in bed sounds, oh, so tempting!!!)

Fight the urge, Meg…fight the urge!!!  You can DO this!

But, what is commitment? And what if I want to change my mind?  What if? What if? What if?!?!?!?!

Oh, boy!

Commitment is understanding who we are living for (God or self), deciding to forge ahead in spite of roadblocks, being humble enough to allow God to be our guide and obeying His calling.

We can commit all day long to a gazillion different things, but if we aren’t following God’s plan in the first place, the commitment will never turn into FULFILLMENT. Sigh.

And isn’t fulfillment where we all want to be?  Sure, we want to feel good about what we’ve done, what we are currently doing and where we are headed.  However, it’s just a big mess of emotions if we don’t surrender our will over to God.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Psalms 37:5

Giving the reins to God assures us that our path is the right one and that we will be fulfilled in the end – regardless of what the terrain of the path looks like.

It’s easy to say it’s God’s Will if the road is trouble-free , but how well do we stick to His Will when we find a mountain in our way?

This is where having that daily communication and close relationship with God separates the successfully fulfilled and the wanderers.

Talking to God on a regular basis gives us confidence that we are right on course and re-enforces our commitment to the task at hand.  But, again, we have the choice to follow his lead or go our own way.

God is not a God of confusion. (See 1Corinthians 14:33) He will give us each the discernment, wisdom and knowledge for our purpose in His Will.  If we are confused, we might need to take a closer look at what we are doing.

In addition, the key to committing our lives to God’s future is to forget about our past!  Thinking that our past defines our future only stunts our growth and is an absolute untruth.  God can use anyone.  We just have to commit our lives to Him and allow Him to use US.

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… Philippians 3:13

I saw a great quote on Facebook this morning that said if we really want to do something, we will find a way.  But, if we don’t want to do it, we will find excuses.  True that!!!

Going forward, what is your level of commitment?

Some Wisdom for Today:  Proverbs 16:3 – Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

** Photo courtesy of “Believe We Can” by Prakairoj/FreeDigitalPhoto.net