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Imagine you are a young person who is about to learn what it means to make a commitment. I dedicate this to all of us who have struggled with keeping our promises, to others and to God.
Oh, gosh, the camping trip is next weekend, isn't it? I know, I promised my friends I would go with them. I wish that I had thought more before I made that promise, but it just slipped out of my mouth! Now, the time is almost here and my promise is going to become a reality, complete with the dirt, the heat, and NO SHOWERS! Ugh! But, a promise is a promise! I wonder if they would miss me if I politely declined. With all this worry, I DO feel a headache coming on. No, that would not be fair. And, yes, a promise is a promise.
What shall I take for this adventure? Surely not my new sports clothes or my designer handbag. Just a few basics will do nicely. And some 'first-aid' items - oh, goodness, there could be snakebites and broken arms and allergies and…oh, my, do I really want to do this?
Well, there will be camp counselors to help us and guide our way. That's right, that won't be so bad. They will help us so we won't get lost or venture down the wrong path. Get lost? Oh, I wonder if there will be bears in the woods. No, I must NOT anticipate the worst! Yeah, I know…that promise thing, again!
You know, thinking about making promises has a familiar ring to it. I remember, now! In Sunday School we talked about the importance of accepting Jesus and making a promise to love Him for the rest of our lives. We were also told that even though we would have to endure some hard times and struggling, we would never be alone. He would be our counselor and He would guide our way so we wouldn't get lost. We asked what we would need for this Christian journey. Our teacher said we didn't need anything more than a willing heart; the Armor of God would protect us. Our designer clothes wouldn't matter much or even seem very important.
Our teacher said that sometimes we may want to back out of our promise to Jesus because we'll want to do something that we think will be more fun. Or, we may want to feel comfortable and safe instead of taking risks and following Him. If we disappoint Him we won't feel very good about ourselves; in fact, we'll feel pretty bad. However, Jesus is a pretty special friend and He understands our weaknesses and fears. He will give us another chance and help us to grow strong, again, so next time we'll be able to keep our promise.
There's that word 'promise' again. It sounds like the covenants we learned about in the Bible. They were pretty heavy-duty commitments.
Thinking about the obedience of the people in the Bible, I began to feel I could at least keep my promise to go camping! It also made me think about my bigger promise to God. I wonder if He is using this trip to teach me about following through on commitments. I never thought camping could teach me about God! Awesome!
I guess I'd better pack my bags. It may get uncomfortable and I may get homesick, but I will feel really good about going ahead with what I promised. After all, "a promise is a promise" even when it comes to camping - and especially when it comes to God!
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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