Promises
Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.James 5:12, NIV
"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
"I promise I'll be back to check on you this week," I told my friend.
He'd recently been released from the hospital and was recovering at home. (The financial people at insurance companies force hospitals to release people too early in my esteemed opinion, but that's fodder for another blog!) He had called to ask if I could pick up some juice for him, and I obliged. When I got to his house, his fridge was empty - just a couple pieces of lunchmeat and some rancid Miracle Whip.
I told him to expect me back later that afternoon. Well, it was much later than expected - about 9:00 pm - when I arrived with groceries to put away for him. I made sure it was nutritious stuff, and also made sure that he could prepare it easily. On my way out the door, I made the promise I stated above.
I called a mutual friend and asked him to drop in and check on him periodically, he said he would. We sorta arranged to split it with him on MWF and me on SSTT (Sat, Sun, Tue, Thu). That way, someone was there everyday just to make sure there was food and that our friend was doing okay.
Last week was busy. I am a stay-at-homeschool dad and there were functions. I had to run to see my parents 200 miles away. I had to do this, I had to do that. The promise I made my friend fell by the wayside. When I arrived in Corpus Christi on Thursday, I felt horrible. I had broken a promise.
I saw my friend in church on Sunday, and he was still thanking me for the food. I apologized that I hadn't dropped by like I promised, but he said I was still there every time every time our friend dropped in.
So, what is a promise?
If you say you are going to do something, do it. Pay the credit card. Visit the friend (in the hospital or elsewhere). Do the work. I used to bite off a lot more than it was humanly possible to do. Someone needed something done, I would be there to do it. Quite often, however, I'd promise to do stuff without checking my calendar. I was notorious for double- or even triple-booking time slots. And when that happens, I wasn't helping the people I wanted to help.
I have become snake-bit to this, and I rarely make promises. I know how hard it is to keep them, and rather than disappoint someone, I'll just not commit. But friendship goes beyond that fear, and I'm learning how to make the commitment to my friends - and stick by it. When I got a mutual friend to visit, I was keeping my promise.
Upon analysis, I find that my promises have become better kept over the years. Partly due to diligence on my part, but mostly due to the influence of the Holy Spirit upon my life. As I go through my life and become more the person God wants me to be, I'll be able to make and keep promises every day. I'm so much better than I was five years ago, and this is not by my action.
Keep your promises. Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No,' 'No'.
"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Matthew 5:33-37, NIV
"I promise I'll be back to check on you this week," I told my friend.
He'd recently been released from the hospital and was recovering at home. (The financial people at insurance companies force hospitals to release people too early in my esteemed opinion, but that's fodder for another blog!) He had called to ask if I could pick up some juice for him, and I obliged. When I got to his house, his fridge was empty - just a couple pieces of lunchmeat and some rancid Miracle Whip.
I told him to expect me back later that afternoon. Well, it was much later than expected - about 9:00 pm - when I arrived with groceries to put away for him. I made sure it was nutritious stuff, and also made sure that he could prepare it easily. On my way out the door, I made the promise I stated above.
I called a mutual friend and asked him to drop in and check on him periodically, he said he would. We sorta arranged to split it with him on MWF and me on SSTT (Sat, Sun, Tue, Thu). That way, someone was there everyday just to make sure there was food and that our friend was doing okay.
Last week was busy. I am a stay-at-homeschool dad and there were functions. I had to run to see my parents 200 miles away. I had to do this, I had to do that. The promise I made my friend fell by the wayside. When I arrived in Corpus Christi on Thursday, I felt horrible. I had broken a promise.
I saw my friend in church on Sunday, and he was still thanking me for the food. I apologized that I hadn't dropped by like I promised, but he said I was still there every time every time our friend dropped in.
So, what is a promise?
If you say you are going to do something, do it. Pay the credit card. Visit the friend (in the hospital or elsewhere). Do the work. I used to bite off a lot more than it was humanly possible to do. Someone needed something done, I would be there to do it. Quite often, however, I'd promise to do stuff without checking my calendar. I was notorious for double- or even triple-booking time slots. And when that happens, I wasn't helping the people I wanted to help.
I have become snake-bit to this, and I rarely make promises. I know how hard it is to keep them, and rather than disappoint someone, I'll just not commit. But friendship goes beyond that fear, and I'm learning how to make the commitment to my friends - and stick by it. When I got a mutual friend to visit, I was keeping my promise.
Upon analysis, I find that my promises have become better kept over the years. Partly due to diligence on my part, but mostly due to the influence of the Holy Spirit upon my life. As I go through my life and become more the person God wants me to be, I'll be able to make and keep promises every day. I'm so much better than I was five years ago, and this is not by my action.
Keep your promises. Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No,' 'No'.
posted by ClayMan at 6:28 AM
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