Truth: I don’t want to write a blog right now. I am exhausted. If it was up to me I would be laying on the couch and watching tv. But I made a commitment to write a blog each week to be posted on Friday’s, and my husband has been asking me all week what I am going to write about. I kept telling him I didn’t know. I didn’t know until I went to pull out my computer, but in light of me not wanting to write because I’m tired… I want to talk about keeping our commitments.
Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord. But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. Neither should you swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’
Matthew 5:33-37
It’s in the red letters friends. Instructions, from the lips of Jesus. He says this because of the misuse of oaths in the Jewish culture at the time. He stresses that it is important to keep truthfulness of your words. I believe as Christ followers, we need to be people of our word and keeper of the commitments we make. I believe that one reason Jesus stresses this is because of the effect that commitment has on the one whom with the commitment was made.
When we keep our commitment to others, it is a way to show that we value them.
I don’t know about you but when someone keeps a commitment they have made, I feel loved and valued. When Mike and I got married, we made vows to each other to stay by each others side in sickness and in health. When I was in the hospital for the miscarriage, it was really late before I got my own room (like 2 am late). Around midnight Mike went home to get some comfy clothes for me, my pillow, and a few other necessities. When he came back he got “comfy” in the uncomfortable hospital chair next to my bed. Not so comfy by the way. The nurse questioned why he was staying and he said “I said in our marriage vows that I would be by her side in the good times and bad, in sickness and in health. I am keeping my word.” He could have easily went home and got a good nights sleep, or at least a better nights sleep than he did at the hospital. I would have been fine if he had. He didn’t. My husband is a man of great character, and by doing this he showed this nurse and I Jesus.
Keeping our commitments is a way we can point people to Christ.
I fail a lot at this. I could tell you stories, but I do my best to keep my commitments (as my husband would say sometimes to my fault), because I want to be a woman of my word, and I want to follow Jesus.
I’ll be the first person to tell you that it can be so easy to back out of commitments, and let me be clear that there may be times that you have to back out of something (like if you are sick or your child is sick). I am talking about something that you just don’t feel like doing, but you had previously committed to. Is there a commitment you made that you don’t want to follow through with, maybe something better came along? Is there something that you know you should do, but are pushing it off, possibly to the point that you will eventually forget (I do this, especially when I’m busy)? In a world where so many people back out or slack on their commitments so easily, consider the red letters. Stand out. His way is the best. Follow His lead. Follow through. Show others they are valued. Show the world Jesus.
One huge commitment buster is over-commitment. I recently wrote about seeking Gods guidance in balancing time. Read more about that here.
