Is One's WORD Worth Anything Anymore?

As a divorced father, one thing I work on with my young son is, "knowing that your word is everything and when you give someone your word it is a powerful bond and contract".

Now when my precious son has something to declare or share with me and it is critically important, he will sometimes enforce the fact "I give you my word". Especially when he is making a promise I know the intensity with which he makes the promise when he states "I give you my word". It makes me proud that my - 9 days a away from being 7 years old son - knows that living by ones' word is a powerful-powerful thing.

But on the other side of this coin, there is the nation and people- at large. One's word has become meaningless. People will regularly say something with no intent to back it up, make it happen or live to it. I have seen it in politicians, families, teachers, businessmen and sometimes professed Christians. Why do I add that last bit? Professed Christians? Because, I sometimes think that Christians believe they can make a promise, not keep it, and because they are "Christians" they have the right to NOT keep their word, and they can just ask for forgiveness later and all is supposed to be forgiven. This IS NOT what was intended. This IS NOT where the meaning even came from. Keeping one's word is BIBLICALLY based. God's DIVINE WORD BASED.

Giving ones word should be as powerful as putting one's hand on the bible. It's the whole reason in a court of law we put our hand on the bible and swear to give honest testimony...Our word!

In the days of old, one would be killed for NOT keeping their word. Nowadays, not keeping one's word is white-washed with "sorry I forgot", "I don't remember saying that" and other poor lies (I won't say they are excuses, because they are just lies), but since society no longer puts values on one's words, there is no punishment for not keeping ones words.

For me, my word is everything. A few years ago I was facing bankruptcy. I could of followed the norm and ditched my debts and whipped the proverbial slate clean, but...when sitting down with my banker that had my mortgage I told him "I am not going into bankruptcy no matter what...I give you my word". IT was hard, but I dug myself out. I KEPT my word, even thought there is whole legal system system set up to just dropped debts and say "sorry, I could not keep my word".

You see, from politicians to debts, our secular society has now embraced the idea that our words mean nothing and we do not have to keep them. I say, keep only friends, advisors and associates who KNOW the meaning and commitment of keeping one's word. Those are who you march in life with.

From there, teach your children the value of "giving and keeping one's words", and maybe, just maybe - "keeping one's word can make a comeback - one child at a time". WHAT DO YOU THINK?