Something that is always in my mind is the words I use when I tell them what's going to happen in the future, whether its the next five minutes or five days or longer. When I was pregnant with Shelly and David and I took a trip to Disney World I was surprised at the number of times I heard something like this...
"But you said we would do that!"
"Well now we can't, sorry."
Obviously, plans can change, but I want my kids to know that when I promise them something, it will happen. I will keep my promise. Its not a light matter to break a promise. Its better not to say anything about what we might do in the future, that way if things change I didn't have to break a promise. I almost think that breaking a promise is like a lie, one that you put out there and make into a lie by your failure to follow through.
Its so easy to take things lightly, things that we say. But there are so many times when God tells us that the words coming out of our mouths are not to be taken lightly. And there are so many times when I catch myself making sarcastic comments or saying something I don't mean (or worse, things that I DO mean) which should never have been said. Thank God for his forgiveness and patience... And for his commitment to keep his promise, without fail.
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.
~ Hebrews 10:23
1 comment:
It needs to be mentioned that there is the nuance related to the use of "maybe" when discussing plans with kids. "Maybe" gives the parent the option, but of course the kids (like adults too) only hear what they want to hear and will deny that "maybe" was used in the original statement. Promises should only be made in rare circumstances. In the end, this is about trust which takes years to build and an instant to lose.
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