Conflict of Interest

I wonder if one can be half-committed to something. Most of us like to keep our options open. We are rarely fully engaged in any endeavor. What we call over-commitment, is usually just half-hearted pursuits of too many interests.

“Commitment means making a choice to give up other choices. You cannot make a commitment without deciding to cut off other options that compete against what is most important.” (Scott Stanley)

This means you couldn’t be committed to too many things at once, especially if they compete for your attention. I can be fully committed to my family or my job, but maybe not both at the same time. If I’m fully committed to God, is it possible to commit to anything else? That depends on if there are any conflicts of interest.

I record many shows on my DVR. Occasionally I try to record too many TV shows at once and I get the following message: “There are multiple conflicts with this timer.” Then I’m given the option of selecting, “Automatically resolve by priority” or “Change the priority of this timer.” I wish it were that easy to resolve conflicting interests that I face in the rest of my life.

Jesus healed on the Sabbath even though it was against the Jewish law. Why? He was more committed to God’s purpose than anything else. He automatically resolved the conflict by prioritizing what was most important. He was willing to suffer the ramifications of his choice. Similarly, we might have to choose between doing what is good in God’s eyes versus doing what society approves of. Our commitment to God will and should cut-off other competing options.