Do You Have Commitment Issues? by Nina Faye Morey

Do you struggle with unfinished writing projects? A survey by a popular writing blog revealed that 72% of writers answered “yes” to this question http://thewritepractice.com/finish-projects/. I can certainly count myself among them. Several unfinished Works in Progress (WIP) patiently wait in my computer files for me to return to them and revive our once loyal and loving relationship.

I start out with the best of intentions when our relationship is fresh and uncomplicated. I make a solemn promise to stick with my current WIP through thick and thin. In spite of my strong commitment, it doesn’t take long before things go wrong. The WIP begins to display its faults and no longer looks as attractive to me as it did when we were first courting. Once our relationship starts to fall apart, I begin to have doubts about whether this WIP is the right one for me.

Before I know it, our relationship has slid further downhill as my WIP grows stubborn and irritating. I find myself becoming more negative and critical towards it with each passing day. Soon I’m easily tempted to stray whenever other appealing ideas whisper seductively in my ear. It becomes increasingly difficult for me to resist the urge to throw myself into these promising new relationships. After all, if I tie myself down to this WIP, I’ll be passing up the chance to take advantage of all these other wonderful opportunities.

However, by now I’ve started to feel rather guilty about breaking up with my current WIP. Perhaps I should shoulder some of the blame. So what do I need to do to avoid this temptation to stray and stay faithful to my current WIP? Well, perhaps I need an attitude adjustment. Maybe it’s my behaviour that needs to change if we are to be successful in sustaining our relationship. So I decided to do some research to discover what was at the root of my commitment problem and develop some strategies to deal with it.

My research helped me recognize that my tendency to flirt with seductive new ideas was the result rather than the cause of my commitment phobia. Two particularly persistent troublemakers were those evil twins, procrastination and perfectionism. Together they conspired to keep me from remaining faithful to my current WIP. Their bullying behaviour was disruptive and dispiriting. It distracted me from my WIP and deterred me from achieving my goals. Fortunately, two of my oldest and dearest friends, patience and persistence, showed up to rescue me from their clutches and set me back on the “write” path.

In addition, I discovered it would take a lot of dedication, determination, and discipline on my part to maintain and nurture my relationship with my current WIP. However, there’s no need for me to struggle with all of these commitment issues on my own. Fortunately, I know that I can pray to God and ask Him for help and direction. If I listen for His voice and trust in Him, He will guide me along the “write” path so I can fulfill my commitment to the WIP He originally chose for me.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left,

your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,

“This is the way; walk in it.”

~Isaiah 30:21(NIV)

So now when those tempting new ideas come calling, I politely take note of them. However, I keep my promise to stay faithful and ensure that my heart and calendar remain open to fulfill my commitment to my current WIP.

Go for the Gold with God by Steph Beth Nickel

This lady right here—gold medal-winning, world record-setting Paralympian Deb Willows—taught me so much about perseverance and overcoming one's circumstances. She also taught me what it looks like to go for the gold with God. 

When I saw the theme for this month, “A Metaphor from the Olympics,” I was thrilled. Having co-authored Deb’s memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances, I knew I had a storehouse of information and inspiration. 

As writers and as Christians, how can we, too, go for the gold?

Dream big!

When Deb was a girl, she sat watching the Olympics with her dad. When she saw the swimming events, she said, "I want to do that."

Now, because Deb has cerebral palsy, her limbs don't always do what she wants them to. Many parents would have encouraged their child to set the bar a little lower, but not the Willows. They provided her with every opportunity to achieve her dreams—and she did.

What can we learn from this? 

If there's something seemingly impossible that we want to achieve, let's prayerfully ask God for wisdom and direction and do all we can to achieve our dreams (unless, of course, the Lord directs us on another path). It may just pay off in ways we'd never imagined.

Commit to Practice, Practice, and More Practice

Deb didn't just show up at an event and say, "Well, I'm here. Let's do this!" Of course not.

She spent countless hours in the pool strengthening her limbs and learning how to propel herself down the lane ... as well as learning to propel her wheelchair through a slalom course, play wheelchair soccer and bocci ball. 

When she felt like it, she practiced. When she didn't feel like it, she practiced. When a migraine hit, if at all possible, she practiced.

This woman's determination has taught me that anything worth achieving is worth hours of planning, preparation, and practice—even when we don't feel like it. This is true whether we're on our way to becoming a record-setting athlete or the best freelance columnist our local newspaper has ever hired.

Press Through the Hard Times

I already mentioned Deb's migraines, but one thing especially impressed me. As she said, the organizers of a Paralympic event won't reschedule simply because an athlete has a headache. Deb has competed when her body wanted nothing more than to stay in bed. 

Deb also tells of another Paralympian with whom she played wheelchair soccer. During the match, there was a loud crunch. This man's foot had gotten squashed between his footplate and that of another athlete's. The truly amazing thing is this: he refused to let the doctor put on a cast until after his swimming events. Talk about dedication.

Do I have this kind of dedication when I face hard times in my own life? Too often I'd have to say no. In fact, I can't even imagine persevering in these scenarios. What about you?

Don't Give Up When You Don't Achieve Gold

Deb was away from home competing in the Games. Normally, she would get in touch with her family after she had won a medal (or several medals). On this particular occasion, she hadn't won any medals or set any world records, but she did want to talk to her family. So she called home and who should answer but her brother.

He asked, "Did you win?"

When Deb said she hadn't, he asked why she was calling.

Brothers!

It is important to do the best we can—to do everything in the name of Jesus as it says in Colossians 3:17—but that doesn't necessarily mean we'll win a gold medal or hit the best seller list. However, one thing's for sure, if we give up, we never will.

By the way, Deb and all the members of her family are extremely close and have great fun together.

Give God the Glory

Here's Deb's perspective on what's truly important:

"In a very real sense, the medals I won are worthless. But when I share my faith with others, now that is pure gold. If back on that June day I did not swim my race, how many opportunities to share God's love would I have missed?" (from Living Beyond My Circumstances)

It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, which says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified" (ESV).

Will you go for the gold this day? And will you give God all the glory whether you achieve your dreams or not?

Steph Beth Nickel is a freelance writer and editor (among other things). She seeks to go for the gold from her home in southwestern Ontario. Deb and Steph are currently working on a follow-up book that will cover the years after Deb’s active involvement in sports. They’ve given it the working title Still Living Beyond My Circumstances.