Keeping Promises to God

Making a promise to God is very tricky. I have slowly learned to not be rash and overwhelming in what I promise in return for a favor from him. I already know I am not supposed to swear an oath. That means, to me, I shouldn’t swear, my right hand to God, or on my mother’s grave or on something similar, that I will absolutely do this and that in exchange for the favor I am asking. If I accidentally break that kind of promise, I am terrified of consequences. These days, I tend to be more conversational in my deals with my Lord.

I ask for what I think I need or want, and then I promise that I will “try” to do something good or worthwhile or quit something I should quit, in exchange for the favor. The key word is “try.” I believe that God knows how hard it is for a simple sinful human being to keep a promise for all their earthly lives. I believe all he wants from me, from us, is that we try.

Trying to keep a promise is more binding than I once thought. I was afraid at first that if I only promised to try to do something in exchange for a favor, I would be lazy about keeping that promise. It doesn’t work that way at all in real life.

When I find I am tempted to not keep the promise, I feel guiltier than if I had made a solemn vow. See, if I promised I would try, for example, to give up a certain favorite treat or to cut a particular word out of my vocabulary, and I slip, I feel so bad because it seems to me that I should have been able to do what I promised, if only because I said I would just try. That word makes me more eager to fulfill my promise. It makes me feel that it is easy to keep that type of promise and I am more easily ashamed when I do not.

Dear Lord, please bless me with the grace to fulfill any promises I make to you when I am asking for your favor, and help me to be cautious in what I do promise.