My Voice - Crazy Committed

Committed is a word that can have a couple of meanings. Like, "I am committed to this marriage and will never leave my wife." Or, "I think I am Napoleon and I am committed to the Behavioral Health ward for evaluation." One definition has sign of certainty, stability, unwavering actions. The other definition connotes "crazy". You know, I am finding that being committed to following Jesus-- living in a manner that reflects Him more than the prevailing culture, loving the least instead of sucking up the the best--makes me feel the tension between these two definitions. I feel unwavering commitment to pursue Jesus everyday -- and I feel like others think I should be "crazy" committed to some state facility.

I spent several years in a successful career as an officer in the Air Force. I spent days working for some the most powerful people in the world, including have direct connection to the Clinton Administration. Now, each week, I spend days eating a meal with Chico's homeless, sleeping on the ground with Chico's struggling teenagers, managing a messy collection of people in recovery, young adults and people who are as "committed" as I--please see the double meaning. Somedays, I wonder, "maybe I should be committed."

Then, I read stories of Jesus, and His struggle with the prevailing religious culture. He said crazy things, like, "foxes have dens, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay His head." Jesus lived homeless. He said, "If you want to find your life, you have to lose it." Jesus encouraged you to see the extreme cost of following Him. He said things like, "Don't take the seat of honor, but take the seat of the least...". Jesus seemed to tell people that it's ok to fall off the ladder of success, to quit fighting to "be somebody" and become a servant, take on the role of the least, lose yourself and live unencumbered and along the way, you just might find True life. The most committed example of pursuing God's will was a man many thought should be "committed." Why? Because Jesus' commitment to God separated Him from the values of the culture and it looked crazy different. As we commit our lives to follow Jesus, aren't we going to look crazy different too? A life committed to following the steps of Jesus is going to look starkly different than the cultural norms. I believe that is where we are called to live. Let's get "crazy committed" to Jesus!

PS - I have been thinking about this since last fall when I read, "In His Steps" by Charles Shelton, written in the 1890s about a community that lives like they believe Jesus would and look strikingly different than their culture. "In His Steps" is now public domain and can be read here: http://www.ssnet.org/bsc/ihs/ihs.html or purchased at Amazon.com.