Keep Your Word Even When it Hurts

Years ago, I wrote an entry entitled Seek God First.  In it, I explained why it’s so important to seek God in life changing decisions.  What I didn’t realize at the time was that every decision we make can be life changing.  This is one reason the bible speaks to praying without ceasing.  We need to be constantly focused on God and His will, so we won’t step off course.  When we’re not, we can get easily distracted and make decisions which feel like small ones that will have greater impact on our lives than we can imagine.  

Have you ever been duped by a person who said they were your friend and you had to pay a great cost?  I have.  A long time ago, a “friend” of mine came to me with an issue.  She couldn’t get a cell phone on her own.  I didn’t ask why and I didn’t seek God’s guidance on it.  She promised me she would pay the bill and keep everything current, if only I’d help her get that phone.  She had a small child at home and I didn’t see a reason not to help her out.   

Well, as you’ve probably figured out, she didn’t do what she said.  Several months passed with her knowing she wasn’t making even one payment and when I was finally notified, the bill due was a significant amount.  When confronted about it, she couldn’t quite understand why I was so upset.  You see, she was used to not paying for things she agreed to which was why she couldn’t get a phone in the first place.  I, on the other hand, always pay my debts.  If she’d told me, she was unable to pay the bill, for sure I would have turned off the phone, but I would have paid it.  

As a result of my not seeking God in the first place, our relationship ended (I forgave her, but couldn't trust her) and I was out of a significant amount of money at the time.  Now could our relationship have ended, if I’d said “No” about the phone?  Sure, but I wasn’t responsible for her situation.  It wasn’t my responsibility to get her out of it.  I likely interfered with God teaching her a lesson.  That was a bought lesson that I will never repeat.  But now, I think back on it and I realize God taught me some important lessons during that experience.  Seek Him in everything!  Sometimes it may appear that His answers don’t make sense, but remember He knows what you don’t.  He already knows the answer before any question is asked.  He knows what he’s protecting us from.  

He gives us free will and we can use it to make pledges or enter contracts which are bad for us.  When we do, we are stuck with them even if they are foolish.  The Word says, it’s better not to make a vow, than to break one (Ecclesiastes 5:2-6).  Breaking a vow is sin.  In my case, by getting her that phone, I made a vow to pay that bill to the cell company.  My name and word were on the line.  So even though, it costed me heavily at the time, I made it right.  God honored my integrity and gave the money back to me and more.  However, it all could have been avoided had I sought God first.    

Now, I’ve heard from some people, just don’t pay back a debt.  If you agree to do anything, do it (Deuteronomy 23:21-23).  We have to have integrity even when it will hurt us.  God is a God of truth.  If we are His representatives in the world, we have to be people of truth.  If you give your word to do something, and don’t fulfill your word, it is sin.  You’ll pay for the sin and likely more than you would have by keeping your word in the first place.  So think before you speak.  Seek God’s Guidance.  Keep your word and your promises.  God honors that.