Promise Keeping or Promise Breaking?
Promise Keeping or Promise Breaking?
During World War II, the U.S. Army stationed a young lieutenant, John Blanchard, overseas. While there, Blanchard fell in love with Hollis Maynell, whom he had never seen nor met in person. You see, John Blanchard and Hollis Maynell had become pen pals. As they corresponded, they began to open their hearts to each other and soon fell in love.
When Blanchard received orders to return to the States, the couple arranged to meet in person on a particular night at Grand Central Station in New York at 7:00 p.m. Since neither one had ever seen the other, she told him to look for a woman with a red rose on her lapel.
At one minute before 7:00 on the appointed day, Blanchard waited nervously at Grand Central Station as people walked toward him. A young woman came toward him. She was a tall slim, pretty blonde. She wore a pale green suit. Blanchard walked toward her, failing to notice that she was not wearing a rose on her lapel. She smiled and asked, “Going my way, soldier?”
Almost uncontrollably Blanchard took another step closer to her, when suddenly he noticed behind her was another woman. She wasn’t nearly as pretty, and was past 40 years of age, much older than Blanchard. She had graying hair that was tucked under a hat. But she did wear a rose on the lapel of her worn out brown suit. She wasn’t what John Blanchard was expecting.
The first woman, the young, pretty, trim, blue-eyed blond, walked away. Blanchard felt this would not be the moment of love he had hoped for. Nevertheless, Blanchard squared his shoulders, saluted the second woman and said, “I am Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I’m glad to meet you. May I take you to dinner?”
With a confused smile on her face, the second woman said, “I don’t know what this is all about, son, but that young lady in the green suit who just went by begged me to wear this rose on my coat. She said if you were to ask me out to dinner that I should tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test."
What was the test? Hollis Maynell wanted to make sure John Blanchard was a man of his word. Could he be counted on to do what he said he would do, even when it looked like things weren’t going to work out as he had hoped?
Proverbs 20:6 reads, “Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man, who can find?” The words “unfailing love” in this Bible verse are not speaking of romantic love, but of loyalty, commitment, and fidelity.
How many times has someone made a promise to you that he or she did not keep? When we keep our word, we align ourselves with God’s character. You see, God is the great Promise Keeper. He never has made a promise He did not keep. When we keep our promises, we are behaving just like the Lord. In addition, keeping our word is a gift we give to people.
Can you recall when you were a kid, you would make an outlandish promise, but you had crossed your fingers that were behind your back. We don’t get off the hook by crossing our fingers. God wants us to be persons who keep our promises and commitments. God is deeply concerned that we be people who keep our word.
