Breaking a Promise

Well, here it is Wednesday, 

and I am sitting here mentally making a list of things to get done in less than a week.

I promised myself I would have everything done early, so I could relax. 

I failed.  

Life got in the way.  

There were so many things to get done that I completely forgot my promise to myself.  

We have all made pledges either to ourselves or others and broke those promises.  

Broken promises leave us hurt and disappointed.  

God, however, has kept every promise he has ever made.

So when He promised a savior, He kept that promise too.

It didn't look the way everyone expected, so people were confused.

They expected a ruler to save them from Roman tyranny,

but He, in His wisdom, knew that they needed inner, lasting peace,

so he came as a baby in a manger.

Sometimes we, in our humanity, break our vows, either intentionally or unintentionally.

We all understand that promises are to be kept,

and we get sad when we can't keep our word.  

As Christmas approaches, let's think about the promises we make.  

a promise to pray for someone, 

go to a party with a friend, 

buy that new toy that your child has been begging for, 

to bake cookies.  

These are promises that we make 

without even thinking.  

They are made with the best of intentions, 

but life gets crazy and we can't follow through with our plans.

Often, the best thing we can do is, to be honest.

If you can’t, honestly keep your word, 

give yourself the freedom to say no to that thing. 

This is something we can practice all year.  

It's not easy by any means, 

especially if you're the type of person that likes doing things for and with people

The best thing is that God knows our heart 

and he understands human limitations. 

He knows that, sometimes, life will hand us a curveball, 

and we unintentionally break our promises.