Memories and commitment                                                                  by                                                          Dallas M. Roark       Helplessly locked up in a Nazi prison cell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer puzzled over the ease with which prisoners forgot about a night's bombing as soon as the all-clear was sounded,       How is it that great crises that shape our lives-even for the better-are quickly forgotten for the routine tidbits of life that are often without meaning?       Bonhoeffer noted that a flash of lightning altered the life of Martin Luther. One might conclude that  Luther's life was daily relived under the rumbling impact of that bolt of lightning.       What has happened to our memories? Observe young people who commit their lives to a mission calling and fall by the wayside for more lucrative professions or marriage. What· happened to the mem­ory from the time of commitment until the person defaults upon his climactic decision?     .       It has been observed that Fort Worth has a large number of seminary trained people who sell shoes, manage stores, engage in insurance and a host of other occupations.       Having arrived at a comfortable pay scale during their years of working their way through the seminary, they feel it im­possible to give up their jobs for a lower  paying church. What has happened to the memory of commitment?                                  A Youth Goes Forward           A young lad of 16 went forward in a service many years ago when the evangelist  challenged the youths present with an motto:        "God helping me I will seek His will for my life and having found it, pursue it, cost  what it may."        This motto became a comfort to him when he looked for a companion in marriage. This memory served him well when he contemplated life's vocation. In the changing, challenging circumstances of life this motto repeatedly raised its head to put forth the real issue for his existence.        But there appears to be a smaller num­ber like him in the coming generation.        Is there anything to remind us of com­mitment today? Does not the Christian live under a memorable sign? The Lord's Supper, among others, 'is a sign of God's  covenant to us and our acceptance of His rule in our lives.       Unfortunately, in many churches, if you miss the first Sunday of each quarter you miss this reminder for a year. The Lord's Supper is an occasion for the memory to sit in judgment upon our present course of action as well as a reaffirmation of our commitment to God's rule. The pas tor has a role in this also. Several times, Timothy, the pastor, was reminded of the heritage of his faith, as well as his role in calling others to remembrance.       Why is the loss of our spiritual memory so tragic? It often means one has lost a feeling of responsibility. One who has "forgotten" does so usually because he feels something is not important.       Forsaking one's previous commitment sometimes means a new attitude of lessen­ing responsibility. This is only one more symptom in our generation where people avoid responsibility.       Not only the future of the church rests upon whether people will remember their commitments and be responsible, but the future of civilized society hangs in the bal­ance of remembering our commitments to God, man and society.     (This article appeared in the Baptist Standard of Texas. January 13, l971