Tough Promises

How often do you make promises that you truly intend to keep?

How often do you break promises and tell yourself its not that big of a deal?


Think about the biggest promise you've ever made. What would it take for you to break it? Is it unbreakable? Is there even a such thing?

Before you get too arrogant with your "this is pointless, I'd never break my big promise no matter what happens..." consider the worst thing that could ever happen and then rearrange your promise. How valuable is your big promise to you? What would you sacrifice for it? Your job? Your house? Your marriage?

In Chapter 14 of Facing Your Giants, Lucado talks about big promises.

What if you made a big promise in the spring time (thinking that nothing bad could ever happen to you) and then had to put that promise to the test in the February downpour (where it seems like there's nothing left to fight for). Would you fight the good fight, just to keep the promise? Is your word that valuable to you? Does your word really even matter in the grand scheme of things?

Lucado pushes one of those hard lessons that we try to pretend like God doesn't really teach people. One of those, He allows us to hurt so that we can grow stronger, kind of lessons.

It's not always wonderful news to hear that SO many times in scripture God allows bad things to happen to good people. But the good news IS still there. You just need to keep reading. It all depends on how you look at it. What kind of spin are you willing to put on it?

--God allowed bad things to happen so that he could teach the good people a BIG lesson.

In this case, we're talking about tough promises. So... here's where this all comes together.

Sometimes God allows bad things to happen to good people so that He can give them the opportunity to keep one of those big promises.
-In this day and age, the world's view is usually all about whatever is easiest for you...and that, my friend, can sound pretty good when you're hurting. "Do what's best for you...You deserve it."
-Well, what if what's best for you is to survive the heartache and see it through (no matter how painful) to the other side? What if your biggest victory is right on the other side of that mountain you're facing?

What if you consider it an honor to get to do what God has done for you. He keeps His promise to you no matter how crappy you are to Him. He is allowing you this opportunity to take the road less traveled. Keep your promise even when its hard. Keep that promise even when the world says its not the "smart" thing to do. Keep your promise because your God is bigger than the boogy man and He will see you through to the other side, and your BIG victory is waiting for you there.

I promise.

"Why should you keep your promise? So you can understand the depth of God's love. When you love the unloving, you get a glimpse of what God does for you. When you keep the porch light on for the prodigal child, when you do what is right even though you have been done wrong, when you love the weak and the sick, you do what God does every single moment. Covenant-keeping enrolls you in the post-graduate school of God's love.
Is this why God has given you this challenge? When you love liars, cheaters, and heartbreakers, are you not doing what God has done for us? Pay attention to and take notes on your struggles. God invites you to understand His love."