The Importance of Promises

Life is just so unpredictable sometimes. At one point, you may be feeling on top of the world. Another, it just seems like everything you’ve worked for, everything you dreamed of, everything you desire… just crumbles and falls apart right in front of you.

You build your world around your family and friends. After all, in the debate between nature versus nurture, it is ironic that both entities play very crucial roles in shaping one’s values, ideals, beliefs, principles, behaviour and attitude.

Human beings are social creatures. Whatever you want to call it: socializing, fraternizing, gossiping, chatting, hooking up, etc… it is undeniably true that communication plays a vital role in establishing a “connection” between 2 or more people. Consequently over time, you place your trust and confide in the people who are close to you… you make promises, you tell secrets, you are acclimatised to their company, etc. By doing this, you are hoping that the bond and the confidentiality clause, that is usually the essence of any friendship or relationship between two individuals, would be sufficient enough for both parties to not breach the trust of the other person. You are hoping the other individual will not let you down and be there for you through thick and thin.

However, the paradigm shifts when the friendship or relationship is put to the test. Every one of them has a limit, what one would call a “breaking point”. Fragile ones are the first to succumb, followed by the more stable, definitive ones. Even the strongest friendships or relationships will fall when the basic instinct of survival comes into play. In the end, it is the selfish nature of mankind, a fallen race, that will ultimately lead us all to our own destruction.

Yet, somewhere people still make and keep promises. They choose not to quit when the going gets rough because they promised once to see it through. They stick to lost causes. They hold on to a love grown cold. They stay with people who have become pains in the neck. They still dare to make promises and care enough to keep the promises they make.

I want to say to you that if you have a ship you will not desert, if you have people you will not forsake, if you have causes you will not abandon, then you are like God.

The commitment to keep promises protects families and friendships. Taking promises too casually creates disillusionment and fear. Honouring promises made to another will honour oneself too.

I want the people in my life to know that I will keep my promises as much as I can with the strength imbued in me by the power of the Holy Spirit. I expect them to do the same too, even though sometimes we may fail. =) God bless us all as we pray and seek His will on this issue together!

~Tim~