Through Commitment, We Find Compassion

By Rodney Bullard
CEO The Same House PBC | Former Senior Executive at Chick-fil-A / Global CSR, ESG and Marketing Leader | Best-Selling Author | Former AUSA | Former Air Force JAG l Corporate and Non-profit Board Director

“You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear.” – Sammy Davis, Jr.

The Red Oak Creek Covered bridge has stood for over 175 years spanning across the creek that shares its name. Even more, through wars, floods, societal change, and the appropriately mundane family gathering, the bridge has carried history into tomorrow, bridging the past and the present.

Like most bridges, it was born of a void, starting with its builder Horace King – part black, part white, part Catawba Indian. he was the personal embodiment of a crossroads. King was born into slavery in South Carolina in 1807. He and his master, John Godwin, started building bridges using a new technique and essentially became partners. They traveled around the antebellum South, building bridges. When their bridge that crossed the Chattahoochee River washed away, they were asked to rebuild it. Under pressure to build the bridge quickly, Godwin promised to set King free if they hit their deadline. The bridge was completed on time, and King became a free man. After Godwin died, King went on to build 100 more bridges in the soon-to-be Confederate States of America. Over time, all but one bridge was either destroyed or replaced. The Red Oak Creek bridge has outlasted 30 presidents, national tragedies, and natural disasters. It spans the distance from the past to the future.

As I reflect on this bridge, I see how our Commitment to the future can help mend past wounds. We can revisit old beliefs with dedicated action and question how they serve us now. We can start asking ourselves tough questions like what is broken that need to be fixed? Where can I show up and create an impact? And, how can I rise to span into the future with empathy and love?

If you want to succeed in anything, you must commit to it. Whether it’s your job, relationship, or fitness goals, you are much less likely to achieve them if you don’t commit to them. Committing means being willing to put in the work and seeing it through to the end. It is when you have a steadfast commitment to something that you will be able to achieve great things.