Commitment – Would you do this?
Recently, a 31-year-old woman named Micherre Fox tent camped for three weeks at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas on an unusual mission: she wanted to find a diamond for her engagement ring.
She dug from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. When her shovel got stolen, she had to walk for three hours round-trip to a hardware store to buy another one.
She said she wasn’t prepared for the heat or the difficulty of the task, but she kept at it.
June 29 was her final day and she decided to give it one last try. After some digging she noticed something glittering near her boot. It turned out to be a 2.3 carot diamond, a rare find in the park. Most are smaller.
The treasure — earned by long hours of unglamorous sweaty labor — is a powerful visual symbol for Micherre. The sparkling wonder symbolizes her personal commitment to marriage which means hard work on relationship issues. She said, “If you take giving up off the table, the only thing left is to keep moving.”
The whole effort, she says, was born of a dream two years ago to find an ethically sourced gem. She soon discovered that she didn’t have to travel to a distant country to do it since the only public diamond mine on earth was a short flight from her home in New York City.
Her example is admirable, especially considering her motive. Many would have given up sooner. Her wedding day will be a memorable and powerful because of her extraordinary action.
Jesus told a story about a woman who lost a coin in her house. She started looking for it, using lamp and broom until she found it. The coin represented a lost soul, and her joy at finding it was a picture of God’s joy when lost people are found (Luke 15.10).
The book of Revelation describes the marriage supper of the Lamb, when Jesus Christ celebrates His eternal commitment to His bride, the church.
On that day, no one will question the strength of His love. His pledge and vow to His People will be seen in the light of all He sacrificed in order to save them. How fitting if we can reveal a similar quality of devotion to Him and to our relationships.
Barry Kimbrough Pastor, Gold Beach, Brookings, and Cave Junction Seventh-day Adventist Churches
