I Made an Outrageous Commitment Without Counting the Cost
- Julie Greenwalt
- Jan 28
- 4 min read
I Was Just Trying to Make Things Interesting
If you know Roger, you know he likes to label himself “The Resource.” And he has the t-shirt to prove it. The t-shirt he gave me? It says, “I never question Roger’s choices because I’m one of them.” And that's a perfect introduction to share what I learned about faith and trust in the episode below.
It Was Just a Joke—Wasn’t It?
Back in 2022 as we drove away from our beloved Southern California mountain cabin, headed for 15 months of full-time RVing, I turned to Roger with this momentous declaration: “Just to make this journey more interesting, I’m going to believe everything you say.”
In my mind, this commitment would last about as long as the Ding-Dongs we packed. Enjoyable entertainment for the moment, quickly forgotten. Just a little light levity for the road, I thought. But Roger was overjoyed. He latched on with a strong sense of justice, determined he would hold me to that ridiculous promise. I was right—it certainly made our travels more interesting.
What I didn’t realize when I made that fateful, unthought-through, half-joking declaration was what a struggle it would be to stifle my deeply ingrained habits of correcting, contradicting, and improving Roger’s point of view.
Requirement #1: Silence (Apparently a Spiritual Discipline)
It didn’t take long to find out that believing everything Roger said meant holding my tongue. A lot. Super uncomfortable, and now I suddenly had that kind of “tongue practice” several times a day. If he said, “This will work,” I was supposed to nod in agreement, even as my internal dialogue shouted, “No, no, no! That won’t work!” If I truly wanted to live up to my commitment to believe Roger, it meant adopting a “wait and see” posture rather than an instantly skeptical, critical posture.
Requirement #2: Agreeing Even If I Thought I Knew Better
Next, believing everything Roger said implied acquiescence in advance. Even before he told me we needed more blocks under the starboard jacks, I had to be emotionally prepared to agree. Whether or not he turned out to be right, what mattered was living up to my commitment.
Requirement #3: Give Him Freedom (and Me Stress)
Believing everything Roger said created an atmosphere of freedom—for him. When I was on my best behavior, he could back up the fifth wheel without my constant interference. Less stress for him—but more for me. Unless, of course, I was willing to change, let go, adjust, and grow.
Requirement #4: Faith (and Fallout)
Fourth, believing everything Roger said required a certain amount of faith on my part. That, of course, has its pros and cons. Pro: any consequences were his responsibility. Con: me having to live with those consequences along with him. My faith often needed reminders that we were a team and we would deal with any fallout as a team.
Okay, by now you’re probably wondering just how well I stuck to my declaration. And what I learned from that ill-thought-out statement. Fifteen months is a long time—with lots of Roger statements. Since I’m the one writing this story, you’ll have to take my word for it: I give myself a weak 3 out of 10. It was hard, much harder than I anticipated. And it was brutal when Roger reminded me I’d said it. Did I really put those chains on my mouth, purposefully and willfully? What was I thinking?!
Counting the Cost (For Real This Time)
So my foolhardy commitment, made without considering the cost, is—in a small way—reflective of the much bigger, more important commitment we made when we decided to become Christ followers. Jesus didn’t mince words when he urged us to count the cost of being his disciple (Luke 14:28-33). The most important part of his discourse is verse 33: “So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.”
The wonderful difference is that, while Roger isn’t perfect, being a Christ follower means placing our faith in the One who is perfect. Unlike Roger or me, Jesus never misjudges a situation or requires trust without offering grace. His ways and methods were planned before the world existed, and he alone guarantees the outcome. His shoulders are broad enough for every responsibility and consequence we encounter as his followers. When we are silent, listen for his words, read about his ways of working in our world, and agree in advance to do all he wants us to do, we give him freedom to act in astounding ways we could never imagine, for his glory and our benefit.
God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. Psalm 18:30
If this theme resonates with you, you might also enjoy these Reflections: https://www.juliergreenwalt.com/post/when-the-wheels-fall-off
Have you ever made a dramatic but not necessarily well-thought-through pronouncement? What happened? And what did you discover through the experience? Share in the comments below.
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