Fully Committed

I mentioned ‘communism’ in a discussion the other day, and was surprised when a young person in the group didn’t know what that was.  Communism?  I grew up in the Cold War era, practicing the under-the-desk scramble in elementary school to prepare for ‘the attack,’ and as my father served the country in military intelligence and the word having shaped our livelihood, I suppose I was as shocked as someone not understanding how to boil water!  The world has gone on to other threats, hasn't it?

I shan’t bore you with a definition today, but it reminded me of commitment, deep commitment to a cause one believes in.  Billy Graham once shared a letter written by a committed communist that had quite an effect on me.  If you don't get the 'communism' reference, substitute your own, but in any case, here it is as published back in the 1960s:

We communists have a high casualty rate.  We are the ones who get shot and hung and ridiculed and fired from our jobs and in every other way made as uncomfortable as possible.  A certain percentage of us get killed or imprisoned.  We live in virtual poverty.  We turn back to the party every penny we make above what is absolutely necessary to keep us alive.

We communists do not have the time or the money for many movies or concerts or T-bone steaks or decent homes or new cars.  We’ve been described as fanatics.  Our lives are dominated by one great, overshadowing factor:  the struggle for world communism.  We have a philosophy of life which no amount of money could buy.  We have a cause to fight for, a definite purpose in life.  We subordinator our petty personal selves into a great movement of humanity; and if our personal lives seem hard or our egos appear to suffer through subordination to the party, then we are adequately compensated by the thought that each of us, in [his/her] small way, is contributing to something new and true and better for [humankind].

There is one thing in which I am in dead earnest about, and that is the communist cause.  It is my life, my business, my religion, my hobby, my sweetheart, my wife, my mistress, my bread and meat.  I work at it in the daytime and dream of it at night.  Its hold grows on me grows, not lessens, as time goes on; therefore, I cannot carry on a friendship, a love affair, or even a conversation without relating it to this force which both drives and guides my life. . . .I’ve already been in jail because of my ideals, and if necessary, I’m ready to go before a firing squad.

That’s commitment.  I don’t know if this young fellow lived up to his high ideals in reality, but I do know that I was drawn to substitute the word ‘communism’ and ‘communist’ with ‘loving Jesus Christ and loving others.’  Can we be just as committed and convicted as we live out The Way, in all our relationships and our actions, day in and day out?  That’s my prayer.  And I needed to be reminded, even from a viewpoint on the other side of the aisle.

At least that’s the view from my desk, especially today!

Grace and joy,

Julie