Political seasons come and go but one thing remains the same: Promises are easy to make but difficult to fulfill. In college I took a political science class in which we discussed the history of the political promise. Remember the famous promise, I’ll make sure there’s a chicken in every pot? Was that promise trumped with, I’ll make sure you have two pots? Is it possible to out-promise someone? I ran unsuccessfully for Student Council in junior high and now I know why I lost. I should have campaigned on the promise: I will end all F’s and severely curtail D’s, rather than my platform to rid our school of soggy English peas.
It’s hard to blame those who run for office for offering ideas and promises that will be difficult to achieve. To be elected one has to be voted for. It’s hard to enact a political promise from the barstool of the local diner; one needs to be seated in the actual political chamber to act on promises. Maybe the answer to the promise dilemma is a return to the Pinkey Promise. I promise to enact this promise when I’m elected to this auspicious position. But Candidate A, do you Pinkey Promise?
All of us could improve our product with a deeper respect for the spoken promise. Scripture teaches both truthfulness and the duty of placing the needs of others before our own. To fulfill a promise is a selfless act. It’s also an act of honor. A promise fulfilled honors God and the recipient of the promise. The reverse is also true. An unfilled promise is a negative reflection on God and on the Christian who made the promise. God becomes collateral damage in this scenario. It’s hard enough to live life without making God look badly by accident or through temporary mental lapse; no need to compound the level of difficulty with an intentional untruth. And, there’s no color scheme in place pertaining to the truth. There are no grey areas and there are no white lies. As they say, a promise is a promise…especially if it’s a Pinkey Promise!
Michael McCullar
