Promises To Keep

	Promises To Keep

STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

Whose woods these are I think I know

His house is in the village though
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake

The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep

-Robert Frost

How often do you make promises? How often do you break them? Many make promises they have no intention to keep. Many more make promises they intend to keep, but for some reason, do not. Others only make promises they know they can keep. Which category are you in?

On Promises

The tobacco is like our church. It goes up to God. When we offer it, we are telling our God that we are speaking the truth. Whenever there's tobacco offered, everything is wakan —sacred or filled with power.

That's a lot of why we Indians got into trouble with the white man's ways early on. When we make a promise, it's a promise to the Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka. Nothing is going to change that promise. We made all these promises with the white man, and we thought the white man was making promises to us. But he wasn't. He was making deals.

We could never figure out how the white man could break every promise, especially when all the priests and holy men —those men we called the black robes— were involved. We can't break promises. We never could.

A lot of them were private —we didn't need a priest to make them happen. But they were real. They were promises to the Creator to do something. So we thought we were seeing the same thing from the white man. Especially when he swore on the Bible or used the name of God to make a promise. But I guess it was a lot like their church. It was only important on some days. The rest of the time it didn't matter.

“Neither Wolf nor Dog. On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder"
by Kent Nerburn

This caused a big problem for our forefathers. Treaties, which were seen as promises to the Native American tribes, were only seen as “deals”, which were okay to change, to the White Man. Are your promises only “deals” or are they truly promises?

According to this statement, any thing you say to another is a promise to be kept. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth. – Deuteronomy 23:23 This is a good example of a promise, or oath, fulfilled. Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise. – Nehemiah 5:11-13 Don’t make promises you are not able to keep. And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. – Romans 4:21 Don’t make false promises. In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; -Titus 1:2 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. – Leviticus 19:12 If you make a promise, KEEP IT. If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. – Numbers 30:2 Let your word be your bond. But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. - Matthew 5:34-37 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. – James 5:12 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. – Matthew 23:22 When a promise is broken, it not only damages both the recipient and the maker. The recipient is disappointed and loses trust. The maker damages his/her reputation and becomes known as untrustworthy.
Do not make a promise you know you can’t/won’t keep. Do not make a promise you are not certain you can keep. Rather say you “will try”, or “if it is possible.” Only make promises you know you are able and will keep. KEEP YOUR PROMISES!

According to this statement, any thing you say to another is a promise to be kept.

That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth. – Deuteronomy 23:23

This is a good example of a promise, or oath, fulfilled.

Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise. – Nehemiah 5:11-13

Don’t make promises you are not able to keep.

And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. – Romans 4:21

Don’t make false promises.

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; -Titus 1:2

And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. – Leviticus 19:12

If you make a promise, KEEP IT.

If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. – Numbers 30:2

Let your word be your bond.

But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. - Matthew 5:34-37

But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. – James 5:12

And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. – Matthew 23:22

When a promise is broken, it not only damages both the recipient and the maker. The recipient is disappointed and loses trust. The maker damages his/her reputation and becomes known as untrustworthy.

Do not make a promise you know you can’t/won’t keep.

Do not make a promise you are not certain you can keep.

Rather say you “will try”, or “if it is possible.”

Only make promises you know you are able and will keep.

KEEP YOUR PROMISES!

GRANDFATHERS PRAYER FOR TODAY
My Creator may I always keep the promises I made to myself and others for they are promises to you also.
GRANDFATHER PETER (Tread Softly on the Earth Mother) http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/thebearclan THE BEARCLAN SCHOOL FOR SHAMANIC STUDIES

GRANDFATHERS PRAYER FOR TODAY

My Creator may I always keep the promises I made to
myself and others for they are promises to you also.

GRANDFATHER PETER

(Tread Softly on the Earth Mother)

http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/thebearclan

THE BEARCLAN SCHOOL FOR SHAMANIC STUDIES