I Promise. I Promise You Not

I Promise. 

Two words that I almost never say. Why? They’ve lost their meaning in today’s society. There used to be a time when someone’s word meant something. Remember the phrase, “as good as my word”? Say that to someone now and it means nothing. Write it down and it means even less. Like the word “love”, the word “promise” has become disposable. Easy to throw around, easy to throw away and easy to disregard. We say “I love you” at the drop of a hat. We make “promises” when we get married that we have no intention of keeping. Promises are made to our children and easily broken. We don’t even bat an eye when all the while, we are teaching the next generation to devalue the most important thing we have – our word. 

On one of the many occasions my daughter asked me to if we could go to the mall on the weekend. I replied, “Yes, we can.” Then, her face grew serious as she said, “Mom, do you promise?” I said, “No, Em, I don’t.” I remember her shocked little face looking at me, her eyes wide with confusion. “Why, Mommy?” she asked in all earnest. I replied, “Emilie, our lives could be completely unrecognizable by the time the weekend comes. Many factors could change our circumstances and we may not be able to go to the mall. Promises should never be broken. Ever! So, I will not make a promise on something I cannot absolutely guarantee.” I could see her pondering over this,

I’ve said this over and over to my girls over the last 16 years.Yet, I can count one hand the number of times I’ve told them, “Yes, I promise….” sure that I would be able to bring to pass what I said I would do. Demonstrating this allowed me to show them how serious God is about His promises to us. In the same way we can rely on God to keep his promises, my girls know when I say “I promise”, I mean business! As they grow to understand what a promise really is, I am assured that when they make the most important promise of their life – on their wedding day – they will mean business. Their husbands will know they mean what they say. And more importantly, they will have chosen husbands who know how to keep their promises. 

What does the word “promise” mean to you?