I’m ALL IN. If I’m playing a card game involving poker chips, I’m going “all in “ — with one single act of bravado, recklessness or desperation, and I’m sacrificing all of my remaining poker chips for one last ditch effort and hope of winning something or losing it all in one single hand.
In wrestling the phrase ALL IN means without restrictions — with virtually every type of hold permitted in the competition.
The words “all in” have become a mantra for being committed to an effort. I’m all in — meaning I’m not holding anything back. I am going full speed ahead. I am fully in — both feet in. I’m all in — I believe this will work. I’m going for it. I’m not just thinking about doing this — I’m doing it. I’m all in for this sports team, for this person, for this job, for this place, for this cause.
We go all in with the love of our life when we commit to marriage. We go all in with our pets when we take them into our homes and care for them. Similar to caring for our children and supporting them emotionally and financially, we go all in with them because we love them and they matter to us.
We go all in with our friends. We love them so much that when they call us with a request or a problem we do what we can to help them. We go all in with them by choosing to spend time with them, by planning outings and activities with them.
When we commit to something — a program, a habit, a thought, a belief, a person, a cause, we have to work at it. We have to maintain it.
You might remember my favorite Japanese proverb: “Everything is beautiful in the beginning.” And then it’s the second day of your diet and you still haven’t lost twenty pounds yet. What is that about? Doing the new exercise and eating regimen is great at first. But three months later, it’s boring and we aren’t all in anymore. It’s just too hard.
Our culture doesn’t help us with the sticking to it part. Our culture has reinforced many bad habits for us — habits that allow us to give ourselves permission to stop anything that doesn’t feel good or feel right any longer.
Marriage is too hard, parenting is too hard, adulting is too hard. I think if we are honest we would ALL admit to having some difficulty with following through on our commitments, and promises that we make to ourselves and to each other. We have a hard time going all in. And staying all in.
So what keeps us from going all in? From jumping completely in with both feet? Are we too passive? Too tired? Are we hesitant to commit to anything?
Jesus tells the following parable in the book of Matthew: And just for the record I really like most of the parables in the Bible, because they are stories about how real people act and talk.
“A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, “Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard.” The son answered, “I don’t want to.” Later on he thought better of it and went. The father gave the same command to the second son. The son answered, “Sure, glad to,” but he never went. Which of the two sons did what the father asked?”
Matthew 21: 28—32 (The Message)
Well, I have to say both of those kids don’t win any awards. The first one, who said I don’t want to, was initially disrespectful and stubborn. The second one sounds all too familiar. How many of you have been expecting someone to show up for an event, and they aren’t there? They may even text you— “I’m on my way”— or “I’m just down the street” - “I’m looking for a place to park” — and they never show up. I am always amazed when people say they will do something and then they don’t and then later, they act like you weren’t supposed to remember that they said they would do that thing. Or in their minds, the situation changed, but they didn’t tell you that part.
Telling someone you will do something, and then failing to do it is an example of not following through. It’s an example of lack of commitment. It’s an example of not being impeccable with your word. It is NOT an example of being all in. When we are all in, we don’t let anything stop us. We keep circling the parking lot until we find a place to park. We follow through with our commitments when we are all in.
Maybe we don’t go all in, because we are apathetic about it. When you don’t care about something, it’s easier to just not show up. When you don’t feel committed, you don’t feel guilty about not showing up.
When was the last time we felt passionate about something? Has life kicked us in the teeth so often that we struggle to find any passion about anything? Are we waiting for something to come along and grab our attention? Are we waiting for a knock on the door to offer us something to commit to, to feel passionate about?
Sports motivator Brandon Stein says we have it all backwards if we are waiting around for passion to strike us and then to commit to its source. He claims that we have to “Start with a purpose. This will lead to imagination, determination, creativity and focus…Having a purpose and commitment to something will lead to passion.” ~ Brandon Stein, “What Does it Mean to Be Truly All-In? Blog
What purpose is going unmet in your life right now? What do you long to do? We all have dreams and ideas floating around. The problem is, the older we get, the better we get at coming up with reasons to not act on those dreams, and goals and purposes. We have a whole pack of reasons why we can’t follow through on the very thing we so badly wanted to do once upon a time. We undo ourselves, before we even get started, and then the dream, the purpose, the plan, and therefore, the PASSION, slips away from us.
Well, I want us to dust off those dreams and purposes this morning. I want us to look at the beginning of this new year with anticipation and excitement. I want us to take this arbitrary landmark of a new year as a true fresh page of a journal, a true clean slate of creativity and I want us to find something to commit to — a purpose to investigate and get behind. I want us to be All In for 2024 whether it’s a card game or a community service. Whether it’s a project or a new relationship.
According to Kevin Hall in his book, Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words, “Ollin is a word on the Aztec calendar. When a great storm or earthquake was about to shake the earth, the Aztecs would shout “Ollin!” Which means “You gotta move and act right now, with all your heart!” Kevin Hall, Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words
What purpose or dream have we ignored for years? It’s time to take that off the shelf and start doing something about it. What commitment did we once make but we find ourselves no longer feeling like being ALL IN? Whatever is tugging at our minds right now, is probably something we need to examine. Do we need to recommit to it? Do we need to make a plan to do better with this relationship in 2024?
My friends, this moment in our calendar year always hands us a do-over, a new beginning. It’s 2024. Time to assess where we’ve been, where we are, where we want to be regarding our commitments and our dreams. Let’s try to go ALL IN for 2024. Amen.
Russian author Dostoyevsky writes:
“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky
We need to ask ourselves: What gives my life purpose? Then, let’s make a commitment to see that purpose through.
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