September 30, 2008: Let Your Yes Be Yes

"I gave my word."

I found myself having to say that a lot recently as I kept getting the same advice from friends who recommended that I try to renegotiate a financial obligation I incurred a couple years ago. (Here "renegotiate" pretty much means "not pay as much as I said I would"). It is true that unforeseeable circumstances had turned a fair deal into a disastrous one for me. Everyone could see that. I was left scrambling between options that all looked bad. But the one option that kept getting placed under my nose and that I had to keep swatting away because of its stench was the one that would have made a promise-breaker of me. That is not acceptable. I would rather be poor - I would rather be unhappy! - than go back on my word.

I have righteous contempt for those who break their word. That is why I root against Bret Favre now. Favre held a tearful press conference on March 6 to announce, "I am officially retiring from the NFL and the Green Bay Packers," and then revoked his word a few months later just because he decided he felt differently. His broken promise threw the whole Packer organization into chaos (how do you plan anything when your star says one thing one day and the opposite thing the next?) and left his replacement, Aaron Rodgers, dangling on a string. Then Favre angrily blamed the Packers for not treating him with respect. He does not understand that he is not worthy of respect. Sure, he can throw a football - but as for his words, write them on water. Go Jets' opponents.

And were it not for Barak Obama's position on abortion and some other things I would certainly be saying "Go McCain's opponent." You may have heard that last week John McCain canceled a David Letterman appearance an hour before the show was to be taped, claiming he had to get back to Washington to deal with the nation's financial crisis. Actually McCain was in no hurry to get to Washington - he had simply decided to go down the street to be interviewed by Katie Couric. Letterman rightly went nuts, and has been ripping McCain ever since with the fury of a jilted bride. Speaking of brides, McCain did not keep his word to his first one, but ditched her years ago for someone younger, prettier and richer. (Between Obama's baby-killing policies and McCain's lack of integrity, I'm glad that our Electoral-College manner of electing a president will insure that my vote this year in the state of Illinois will not matter!)

When you give your word, keep it. This is your duty as a godly man or woman. When King David asked in Psalm 15: "Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?" part of his answer was "one who keeps his oath even if it hurts." (Better in the King James: "He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not."). Of course your situation will change and make your promises hard to keep. That is to be expected. There is no virtue in keeping your word when it is easy to do so, when it costs you nothing, when it is your happiest course of action anyway. Virtue demands that you keep the promises that hurt. Especially the promises that hurt.