Show Up!! VIII

Look, we have left everything and followed you.

 - From Mark 10

Sincerity is not equal to commitment and follow-through. I have heard the most sincere oaths at Thursday night church camp altar calls, and at funerals. 

When a beloved grandparent dies, the grandchildren will find themselves closer than ever, to their cousins. They make great plans to meet up every couple months. They start a Facebook group. They pledge to visit the widowed grandparent regularly. They covenant with one another, never to let each other down. 

Even marital vows are not as intense. 

But the execution of such a plan is where it gets dicey. Nothing is so likely to get tested, as a promise made to another human. I think that one of the hallmarks of parental love, is to continue on in steadiness, after your child has failed . . . again . . . in helping out, or visiting, or doing some chore on Saturday. 

There just are so many distractions. 

The point is not to harp on people that do not follow through. I'm the worst at this. I say so many wonderful things that I plan to do. And if I would just do them, it really would be wonderful. But I just fail in the follow-through, more often than not. 

No . . . the point has something to do with giving each other a little slack. Yes - - - you have failed a loved one. You've dropped the ball. And so have I.

Jesus' Twelve Apostles were as devoted as a friend can get. They left everything, to follow Him. They did was Christ commanded the wealthy man to do: Sell everything you have, and come, follow me. And then . . . you would have eternal life. (The ultimate prize).

But even that is not enough. Peter left everything, but it didn't give him courage on the first Maundy Thursday. Thomas left everything, but it did not conquer his doubts for him. Judas left everything . . . but he still had his price. 

There's a little price to pay when you show up. You have to leave something for at least a few moments. There is something else you'd rather do. Your time with a hobby. A nap. Watching a football game. Showing up matters, because it costs something. 

And the best part is, somewhere deep down in their spirit, the person that you show up for, knows that you could be doing something else. 

And that's why it counts.