Breaking A Promise To God...Forgive Me

"God's promises are new every morning.' Lamentations 3:22

My Tuesday evening ladies Bible study on Titus 2 women is amazing and I have learned so much about not only God and His promises and love for us, but about myself as well.

One thing I have heard in the past from a wonderful Pastor (Pastor Paul Lopes; White Tanks Baptist Church in Buckeye, Arizona) is that when we give someone our word, when we say we will do something, when we commit to something, we are also committing to God.

However, when we make a promise to someone and then break that promise, God will hold us accountable for that and I do my best to not make promises any longer.

Did you know that when we commit to doing something and we follow through, it shows we are women of virtue and it is a sign of our good character.

I am a committed committer and a commitment breaker. I realized that last night! I don't mean to break commitments, however, I tend to over commit myself and then I cause my Fibromyalgia to flare up and then I don't feel good and then I break my commitment.

A few weeks ago, I was so over committed to doing things with the grands, that by the end of the day, I feel exhausted onto the couch and an hour later needed a pain pill and ice on my knees and back. I had piano testing for one that went from 8-11:30, 2 more had to be in a play from 1:00- 2:30 and I had to be at a Cub Scout event from 2:00-3:00.

In all honesty and on my behalf, I didn't expect the play to come up when I had very carefully scheduled the other 2 activities. But, there I went! I just feel that the kids need to be active in things. Scouting, music and whatever else comes up. I have not however, crossed over into the world of sports...I am, sadly, to old to keep up with daily practices, ball games, etc.

What I learned is that I just need to carry my planner with me everywhere I go and before I say 'I will,' I need to say, 'I am sorry, I can't commit right now, when I check my schedule I will get back to you.' Then I need to make sure I get back to that person! Leaving someone hanging is a broken commitment!

I fail most of the time to consider the rest of the family when I commit to doing things. I just take for granted that hubs will want to fill in for me that night for dinner, or the kids will just love going to this new thing and doing this or that (when they might have plans that day). I take on and take on and expect without asking that my husband will just smile through it all.

I also feel if I don't do these things, no one else will and that makes it even harder for me to say no!

Matthew 12:36 tells us that God is going to hold us accountable for every word we ever speak...which means I need to start thinking before I start talking: 'But I tell you that men (and women) will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.' OUCH!!

Before we commit to others, we truly need to be aware of our own bodies and selves. I know I have Fibromyalgia and I know that some days I feel amazing and on others I feel like the tin man and I haven't been oiled in centuries. My shoulders ache, my hands, my knees, my hips.

And yet...........I commit.

What we need to do is to not allow someone else to pressure us to keeping up with them. Not be pressured into keeping up with their energy level and what they are doing. I have to remember that while I love my grandchildren with all of my being, I am not as young as their friends parents are. I am not in my late 20's to mid 30's, I will be 55 this year and I am not able to do as much as I used to.

I need to make sure I take care of me! Even if that means not committing. I need to not feel guilty about it.

So, before you make a commitment, tell someone you can do something, make a promise to a child, remember it isn't your boss, your neighbor or even your best friend whose standards we are measured by, as Christians, it is God's standards and those are high standards and we are expected to live up to those and not mans.

Just say no, may become my new motto!

Have a great day!