Promises

Have you ever made a promise without being certain you could or would keep it? Not the time when you promised you would do something that you never intended to do—like when you told your work colleague how excited you were to bake that cake recipe they gave you, knowing that you’ve never even turned your oven on, let alone could decipher the difference between the bake and convection settings; or when you told that stranger on the bus that you would pray for the difficult situation they just shared, knowing that you’d likely get off at the next stop and not give it another thought! Rather think about the times you were 95 percent sure that you would be able to keep the promise and you spoke it in faith, despite having that last five percent of lingering doubt hanging over your head—such as the time you told your daughter that her package would definitely arrive before her birthday party even though the latest tracking information seemed like it would be cutting it close! Sometimes speaking a promise by faith works out and you look like you’re in total control, there are other times when it doesn’t, and you find yourself with egg on your face and having to explain yourself to hurt and disappointed people.