Pinky-swearing

Pinky swear; cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye; in the name of God; and on my mothers' grave, are all signs of a promise. I saw a commercial recently that spoke of promises. It was for CVS Pharmacies and stated that they had made a promise to their customers that they keep (prescriptions would be done when they promised and that there would not be long lines that required waiting.). The question posed was the same one I mentioned this past Sunday (that's why it caught my attention this week), "How does it feel when someone keeps a promise?"

It's a good feeling when someone keeps their word to you. It makes you feel like you matter, that you have value and purpose. It's a good feeling even if we take it for granted. Promises kept help us sleep at night, to feel secure, to know that we have allies around us. A promise kept is like a warm blanket on a cold night.

But when the promise is broken...it's a different feeling completely.

We're asked to make and keep promises every day. To make them is to bind ourselves in business deals, in contracts, in purchases, in relationships. One of the main themes of the book of Genesis is covenant(promise). Covenant is key to the relationship we have with God. It's also key to the relationships we have with others. Promises are building blocks to business, friendships, family, nation, and society as a whole. Promises kept and promises broken define trust, integrity, honesty. We learn how to deal with others through promises.

Jacob was doing two things when he went to Paddan Aram, to the land of his mother's brother, Laban: first he was escaping the wrath of his brother, Esau; and second he was looking for a wife. (Let's not forget that it's in this order, too.) The first thing he did was to receive and then make a promise. He learned, though, that the promises made by his uncle Laban weren't trustworthy. So he was careful and very specific in his promises after this. In other words, Jacob was one smart cookie, and he trusted in God, whose promises had all come true.

All too often we either make or accept promises too quickly, rashly. We trust those with whom we should be leary and we get burned sometimes. Yet promises are important to make and keep. While we can always trust in the promises of God, we can't always trust those we get from others. We can't make others keep their promises. What we can do is to keep the promises we make and to make them carefully. Because our kept promises reveals our faith, our integrity, our very nature. And when we keep our promises, good things happen.

It's how God works toward the faithful.

I pinky-swear!

Peace ><>
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