Let Your ‘Yes’ Be Yes

‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to you, Do not swear 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 swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Matthew 5:33-37

How many pinky promises have you made? How often do you have to stress and underscore or swear that you will do something…to your kids, spouse, friends, loved ones? For how many of us is our ‘yes’ really yes and ‘no’ really no?

Jesus calls us to walk in this integrity…so much easier said than done. How easy is it to have something, anything, come up? Or, you’re late. Or, you just don’t feel like doing whatever you said you would…

We put ourselves in situations in which we sacrifice our integrity and peoples’ trust in us. [If we repeatedly don’t do what we say we will do, people will not trust that we will.] That situation creates conflict with what God wants us to be, which separates us for Him.

Let us search ourselves and know ourselves. Think TWICE-or even three times BEFORE making a commitment in the first place. For example, if you know you are exhausted at the end of a workday, still having to do homework and dinner, then seriously consider readily committing to weeknight activities. But, once you have said your ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ really try to stick to it. Of course, there is always room for thoughtful reconsideration and changing your mind. But, these should be exception, not the rule.

Is your ‘yes’ a yes, no or a maybe?...

-In Him