Good Saturday morning! I hope you have had a great week! Defining mine in one word would come up as stressful. It was hard and I am so looking forward to some downtime today with a favorite cousin, and maybe a short visit with my uncle. I also wrote a Bible study this morning that really deals with a difficult topic but it has been on my mind most of the week.
I am a Dave Ramsey podcast junkie, and this week I heard him say something that really struck home. "You need to keep a promise to yourself." That got me thinking. Most of us are pretty good at keeping promises to other people. If we tell someone we're going to do something, we make every effort to follow through. We don't want to disappoint them or have them think we're not trustworthy. But what about the promises we make to ourselves?
Matthew 5:37
"But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."
Jesus is teaching us to be honest and trustworthy in what we say to others. He's not specifically talking about personal goals, but I think there's a principle here worth applying to our own lives. If honesty and faithfulness matter in our relationships with other people, shouldn't they also matter when we examine the commitments we make to ourselves? How many times have we told ourselves we're going to eat healthier, exercise more, save money, or spend more time with God, only to find ourselves making excuses when it's time to follow through?
I'm definitely preaching to myself this morning! Last week, I promised myself I was going to get back to the gym twice a week. I'd been away for a few weeks because of oral surgery, but I was ready to go back. Tuesday came, and I made an excuse. Thursday came, and I made another excuse. Then I caught myself thinking, "Well, I'm going on vacation in three weeks. Maybe I'll just wait until I get back." And that's when I realized I was stalling. I was making excuses, and I was breaking a promise I'd made to myself.
If I'd promised someone else I'd meet them at the gym, would I have been so quick to cancel? Probably not! So this coming week, I've promised myself I'm going twice. I know Wednesday will work because I'll be in Springfield, and the gym is right there. I haven't figured out the other day yet, and it might have to be after work, but I'm going to make it happen. I want to be able to trust myself to follow through just as much as I want other people to trust me.
And here's something else I've learned along my weight-loss journey. Don't make promises to yourself about things you can't control! Promise yourself you'll track your calories, exercise for 30 minutes, or get your fluids in. Those are actions you can take responsibility for. But don't promise yourself you're going to lose two pounds this week! Believe me, I'm learning that lesson right now. You can do everything right, and that scale may not move an ounce. I'm trying to get to the bottom of that myself!
1 Corinthians 3:6
"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase."
Paul is talking about the work of spreading the gospel and how God brings spiritual growth. He's not talking about weight loss or personal goals, but I think we can learn something from the distinction between doing our part and controlling the outcome. We can be responsible for our actions without being able to guarantee the results. When we make promises based on outcomes beyond our control, we can end up disappointed even when we've been faithful to what we committed to do.
Matthew 22:39
"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Jesus is commanding us to love our neighbors, not teaching that we must first learn to love ourselves before we can love others. But those last two words, as thyself, make me think about how we treat ourselves. We try to show others honesty, respect, patience, and faithfulness. Are we showing ourselves those same things? Are we taking care of the life and responsibilities God has entrusted to us, or are we constantly putting our own commitments aside?
Now, I'm not saying we're going to be perfect. Things happen, plans change, and sometimes we have to adjust. The Bible doesn't tell us that changing a personal goal is the same as breaking a vow to God. But it does call us to examine ourselves honestly. There's a difference between having a legitimate reason and making an excuse, and I think most of us can recognize when we're avoiding something we know we need to do.
Something else I've been thinking about is what happens when we continually disappoint ourselves. Just like in any relationship, trust is built through actions. If someone repeatedly breaks their promises, we eventually stop believing they'll follow through. I think the same thing can happen when we keep breaking commitments to ourselves. We begin to doubt whether we'll do what we say we're going to do. But we can rebuild that confidence by starting small and following through.
Luke 16:10
"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much."
Jesus is teaching about faithfulness in our responsibilities, particularly in the use of worldly wealth. But the principle reminds me that faithfulness is demonstrated in the little things. Every time we follow through on a realistic commitment, we're building a track record that gives us another reason to believe we can follow through the next time. That doesn't mean we place our ultimate trust in ourselves instead of God. It means we are learning to be responsible and dependable with what He's entrusted to us.
Every promise you keep to yourself is another reason to trust yourself the next time.
So here's my challenge for this week. Make yourself one promise. Not ten, just one. Make sure it's something within your control, something realistic, and something that matters to you. Then do everything you reasonably can to keep it. Ask God for wisdom in choosing that commitment and for the strength to follow through. Because if our word is important enough to keep when we give it to someone else, shouldn't it matter when we're the only one counting on it?
Something to Think About: If someone else broke as many promises to you as you break to yourself, would you consider that person trustworthy? And what is one promise you can make to yourself this week that you can look back on next Saturday and say, "I kept my word"?
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