“I paid a visit to the not-so-blurred milestones of my life,
Where I met the assemblage of my promises, still alive,
That I made to every passer-by of my life, unconditionally!
Among them, the youngest greet me with awe, the oldest pity me,
Reasoning that I’ve come back to accomplish, unknowing not!”
If we recall a fragment of our life -back to the canvas of our hearts, we can meet an unending number of promises sequencing back to our younger days. Some of them will greet us with awe, some of them seem withered, some of them look at us in desperation and some other with gratitude.
The promises that we’ve fulfilled will be standing straight with unfailing stature. The promises that we broke would be looking at us with a hue of pity. And the promises that we ignored might be direly waiting to utter its last words thinking one day we will reclaim it.
And the sequence goes back to the decades-old days where we start enunciate our ruminations to our mode of expressions. When we begin to pronounce promises to our near and dears. A principal number of them would have been neglected and been buried beyond the reach of the memories itself. A few would be in its last days awaiting an unchecked death real even.
However, taking note of each of them and bringing back its stories, some of them(the promises)would have been made to our dear and nears and to our biological authors. Forwarding it a little to the younger days a few tons of it might be shrouded under the chronicles of our bosom friends and cosines. Going forward it might be refracted to innumerable angles of life and must have blurred away to a mysterious state of affair.
However, coming to the point, of the number of abandoned promises, a weighty portion of it would be over-promises for the sake of something.
Moreover, at times, if we could wade back to that season, we can witness the blurred streaks of promises that you shouted out in a spree still waiting for its accomplishment.
And that is mostly made to God almighty as a tradeoff.
On the surge to fulfill our funky yet nasty dreams, the galore of promises we made would be uncountable. But, all the promises we have made would have given life to a covenant.
Have you ever happened to think, what would’ve been the second person that you swore something promising?
To understand that we don’t need to contemplate much, but to recall an instance that our father missed to pick a much-awaited gift for your birthday. Else, just think about the moment when your friend broke their promise on a critical time where you’ve been struggling for a financial crunch.
How deep and far it is? How unforgettable and desponding it were? How deadly and reckless it was?
So is and were the promises we have made to each and everyone in our sagacious life. Undeniably, there would be times that we need to swear upon someone or something to get things done. And there would be times where both the parties would’ve been counting it as a void splash of words.
In fact, more of the times, it matters and especially, when we make it to someone who never takes our words in vain, (who is GOD)
Because, each of our utterances, whether we have bashed it out of our ravish art of oration or willful act of pretense, is been reckoned. In fact, it is not just counted, but measured in detail including the depth of honesty and heartful involvement we got for that vocalization.
God said: When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.
For from him there won't be a single slip of expression that anyone can listen out of a mistake, he listens to every word of us of significance. And God never wants a single plea of us unchecked. God wants to fulfill our wishes all in grandeur and abundance.
So, it is of critical importance to recall each of our promises that are taken as a serious swear word. The piles of over-promises that we made to God and man has to be re-evaluated with greater gravity.
Because many of our answers in life might have been hindered by the unfulfilled promises that we poured on the go and forget.
In the bible, it is said in Mathew 12:36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. So, if each of the idle words we speak would be counted, how much will be our promises to God and man in effect matters.
Unfortunately, more of us are deliberately ignoring this warning verse quite deftly. We are ignorantly ignoring such kind of serious offense for the sake of our casual needs. Unknowing the consequences we keep ravishing people and God with more promises over promises.
Rushing from one promise to another, we are forgetting to remember that a load of promises are not been delivered yet. All those over-promises are remaining as an underdelivered commodity over our past.
But, there will be one day that we have to reckon the number of promises that we got past and need to address it to go forward. That day would be though to ignore and unignorable. Maybe our supplications won’t be enough to offset the cause and no compensations may work then as well.
So what is the remedy?
Refraining from making promises that we can’t deliver is the only working remedy. And avoiding making hasty promises and leaving it unchecked also needs to be curbed.
Bible says in Ecclesiastes 5: 4–5 When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.
By giving accountability to what we speak and being mature enough to address the promises we make can turn our life a lot more reliable. Such reliability adds value to our lives and brings veneration. If we are not able to deliver it, it's better not to promise.
Again in the bible, “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
It implies our promises are substantial in the sight of God. But, not only the over-promises that we made to God in secrecy but also to the other co-being in the name of God.
The reason behind our consistent ignorance toward our pressing promises is (maybe), God is patient and slow to anger, unlike us. But, by breaking each promise, we are becoming unreliable and unrighteous. In the sequel to that, whether we've noticed or not, we can't find, our spiritual and physical growth curve would have shortened and got flatten on the go.
Because God looks for someone who is reliable in their words and righteous to what that says. It is illustrated by several parable in the bible as well.
In short, we know how important our promises when it comes to over lives. We know how hard it is to experience breaking a promise recklessly. So, imagine, how much it would be hurting to others and in specific to God who cares each of our words, in consequence, get hurt.
He never doubts us, even after we broke our promises a thousand times, thinking someday we will deliver it in style. But we, taking everything for granted keep breaking it ruthlessly.
So, now we have a chance to look back to the promises we made at least in the yesteryears, and our God must be waiting for us to deliver it in its right shape. Hence, take this moment and deliver it and be a blessing.
God bless