Promises...promises.

"A good man is not a perfect man; a good man is an honest man,faithful and unhesitatingly responsive to the voice of God in his life." -John Fisher


We all search for perfect partners but inevitably end up with much less.In most circumstances, we can either choose to make the best of it or give up. Likewise we expect to have perfect children but usually end up with well almost but not quite perfect.

Have you ever wondered,why on only a couple or maybe three occasions, you make a promise to God in the presence of the church?

When you get married, dedicate a child and get bapised, you make a contract with God in the presence of the people.These are covenants

You make a vow to God in front of witnesses (the church).

This clearly shows that these events are the most significant events in the mind of God concerning us.

Why?

When we get married, we make a commitment to another to love, honour and cherish the other in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer till death do us part.

Well, yes that is the promise that we made.

Have we kept that promise? probably not.

We, myself included, are guilty of taking our partners for granted of not taking a step back and looking for the good that is in them, that we saw in the first instance.

It's easier for our conscience to focus on their shortcomings. In that way we somehow feel justified in our opinion of them. Its always more convenient to be the victim in a perceived tragedy.

Lets be honest,our partner was and will never be perfect.that's not the point.

The point is that.it is the relationship that is relevent.

In this regard, it is the promise that we made to love, honour and cherish the other that is the key.

It must be reciprocated, as they say, it takes two to tango.

Likewise, when we dedicate/consecrate a child to God,we make a promise to bring up the child in the way of God, to teach,guide and nurture the child to be a good and responsible adult.

Yet how much time do we spend with our children? do we take time to talk to them or do we talk at them?Do we nurture their spiritual growth? How do we conduct ourselves?Are we examples for them to follow.

Are we keeping our promise?

We make our other contract with God; directly, in the presence of the Church when we are baptised.

We promise that we confess our sins we have repented and we dedicate our lives to God and his ways.Here we acknowledge God as our father and he accepts that we are his. He sends us his gift of his holy spirit to nurture and guide us.It is our commitment with God.Our acknowledgement of him.

why is this important?

Because these three events dominate every aspect of our lives from birth to death which is the essence of our very being to be better human beings.To be signifcant in the whole scheme of things.

If everyone kept these promises that we made with God to a tee, we would have perfect lives, the world would indeed be a better place

Most importantly, we would enjoy the blessings of such relationship, the blessings of love and prosperity in abundance.

Where do we start?

Not to pray that God must change others around us,

But to pray for God to change us first.

For God to change OUR ways, to be closer to him,to grant US, patience, tolerance, meekness, humility, loving kindness, forgiveness and faith

To care, To share.

If we let God change us for the better, our perception of the world and people around us will change too.For the better.We will live more meaningful and fulfilling lives.

Our relationships are what we make of them.

Love one and other that is our promise to God and Gods commandment to us.

Lest we forget he loves us with an everlasting love despite our shortcomings and he forgives us, remembering our shortcomings no more. Can we do the same ? love, forgive and forget?

Why not? Don't forget, God has given us abundance of grace.

"God never promises to remove us from our struggles,He does promise,however to change the way we look at them."- Max Lucado

some verses:

Isiah 24:5

"The earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws,changed the ordinance,broken the everlasting covenant."

Isiah 55:3

"Incline your ear and come unto me: hear,and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you..."

Isiah 54:10

"For the mountains shall depart,and the hills removed ; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee."

Amen