One disturbing facet of modern living is this, people walking in Integrity are fast becoming rare individuals!
How many times have you requested someone for something only to be disappointed because they said yes but fell short on the doing part?
Don't feel bad okay? I'm a sinner myself. I need this too. In fact, I couldn't count the number of times I've said yes to a request, event or an invite and did a no show because something urgent came up. In reality, it's only a petty excuse for lethargy.
How have we reduced honor -- the importance of keeping one's word to something so trivial? Is it because other things such as power, fame or wealth are of more significance? (Sure, they are nice things to have on this side of existence too.)
The result? I could no longer trust me, my very own words. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Sadly, there's an army of us!
It's no big deal really! This appears harmless to me. Why does it matter? Haven't you realize everybody does this?
Character's true worth is constant. Its value can never be diminished, prized by society or not. It is and will always be a noble trait.
So how did our 2-year-old Taught Us the Importance of Keeping Our Word?
Here's the story...
Buried in the clearance section of the bookstore near our apartment, I saw the hubby steering the babe to the direction where the coffee shop is.
"Finally, me time!" while diligently scanning every book title displayed on the shelves.
When I met them at the counter to pay, I noticed the little boy's sudden change of attitude towards his daddy. Hmm.. he could only be sleepy.
But intuition tells me something is off. He kept on rejecting his daddy. So I ask the hubby what happened? The hubby was confused at first, followed by a thunderbolt of realization...
"Oh, I told him we'll go eat cake at Starbucks while waiting for you to finish but it was chock-full of people so I decided to retrace our steps back to the book store."
"That's it! You did not keep your word to him." I responded.
Children test us in words and in deeds. Not only that, they learn by watching us.
Children are like blank canvases, the image you see is the result of the strokes and colors you've spread in over time.
In his 2-year-old mind, he could be saying, "Can I trust your words, mom or dad?" "Can I depend on them?" "Do you know you're making it hard for me to obey you when your words keep failing me?"
Imagine our surprise! As early as two children understand the importance of keeping your word. I don't need to be a professional to tell you what we've observed. It's as clear as day!
I'll ask you again. Is it really harmless to not keep one's word? It is no big deal to keep on breaking your promises to yourself or to your children?
Most of the time, we don't put substance to the promises we give because we are not conscious of the impact they bring.
Trust, dependability, honesty, integrity, character. These are good traits I want my children to have and before they could become their own, it needs to be mine first.
The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.
~ Proverbs 20:7
Tomorrow, I may fail, the next day and the day after but I'll never stop trying because I know someone is looking after me. Someone is trying to emulate me. Someone is becoming me. So I'll make every effort to do what is right for my children and my children's children sake.
What we do not only shape our lives but also the generations after.
***
And because we endeavor to keep daddy's promise of eating cake, we drove to our newly discovered dessert shop 15 minutes away from the apartment. He slept on the way there but when he woke up he sure was happy to see the cake dad promised.
Friend, this is the story of how our 2-year-old taught us the importance of keeping our word. I hope our cute little tale inspired you in any way.
You have a wonderful week then! Talk to you soon.
