A dozen years ago a lot of manufacturers were complaining about Walmart.

The retail giant, at its zenith, had begun demanding more and more from the companies that made the goods the retailer sold. Walmart wanted it cheaper, wanted free shipping, and wanted longer terms to pay their bills. Manufacturers were outraged, complaining that their profits would suffer, people would lose their jobs, and there was no way they could possibly meet Walmart's demands and stay in business

At the time, I had a good friend who was an executive with Kellogg's. He worked on the Walmart account. And I noticed that he did not seem troubled by this development. And I remember initiating a conversation with him.

He explained to me that many in his industry thought Walmart was a big, bad, brute, but he chose to look at things a bit differently. He saw, in Walmart, an entity whose demands were great, but who ultimately made his company, and many others, more competitive and more productive. They had to figure out a better way to make their product, if they were going to survive, and even meet their greatest potential.

This story comes to mind as you and I ponder the radical side of John the Baptist this coming weekend. We look at that part of the prophet who demands a deeper commitment to God, a deeper awareness of our sinfulness, and a willingness to repent and try harder.

Good Christian people, this comes across as harsh and demanding, after all we feel like we're doing the best we can. But John the Baptist thinks we can do better, he was sent by God 2 challenge the followers of God and to help them meet their highest potential.

From this, we learn that God it's not out to punish us or to criticize us without cause, but God wants the very best for us because deep down, we want the very best for ourselves.

This is the season, Advent, for us to ask a new, how committed are we? How much more committed might we be? What does that look like in our lives? And how do our attempts to draw nearer to God help us and those around us?