don’t make any promises

Follow Jesus' advice: never to make promises to God.

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Matthew 5:33 Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your promise, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 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 even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. In this Bible verse, even God is trying to convey the fact that humans should not make any solemn vows or oaths relating to what you will do in future. Because if you fail, you will have broken your oath, thus turning yourself into a liar.  Having come from a Christian family, I’ve made countless promises to God. Most of the time, I’m just trying to appease my parents so that I can take advantage their trust. Recently, I’ve made a promise that seems impossible to achieve. I’m not going to reveal what the promise is, but damn, it is hard. And, I know I will fail.  If you are Christian and you made a promise you can’t keep, my advice would be to speak with God. Admit you are unable to keep your promise and ask for a new agreement free from the bondage of promises and vows. You are human after all, and you are not yet perfect in your ways but striving to be better. Ask for him to work with you on this journey as you strive to improve yourself and become a better person.  If you aren’t Christian, then I suggest you to simply avoid making promises. In a world where things change at the drop of a hat and social media allows for every single kind of social interaction to take place on a screen, being completely reliable and honest is quite a virtue. Be an honorable person, at work, at home, with your friends and family. Be that resource who can be trusted to keep your word. You’ll sleep better at night.