Promises of Consequence

A promise mitigates so many cares Perhaps we should address one example And just trust that its truth will be ample. A secret shared whose recipient swears “This matter I’ll keep under lock and key” And silently begs, “say you’ll protect me…” A secret (that’s not so big at the start) Still is a door leading straight to the heart. Oh, how sweet this birth of trust really is, Much sweeter even than any first kiss! The one emboldened to take the first chance The other empowered to receive it, Both dreaming of love that never will quit, The music just starting for their first dance. Should a promise once made always be kept? Could there be any purpose that’s higher? And what if God holds your feet to the fire For evil into your promise has crept With consequence for you and the other? Whether they be your sister or brother, Whether they be your lover or just friend, Is it not clear that this promise must end? And if the problem is only for them Does that make your duty more of a whim? What if they think that everything’s dandy? If honoring God’s purpose is your plan With things you can do, you do what you can For the best choice is not always candy. If breaking your word means losing your love Could there be any action that’s harder? To feel the other then doubting your ardor Is just pain raining from heaven above. Is there no reward for doing what’s right? You really think evil fades with no fight? We know temptation pursues us it’s true And the stuffed head he is seeking is you. Let me ask here just what you are after, Besides owning your feelings- Tears, Laughter If keeping your love means losing your God (I sure know that my stomach feels queasy) Well no promise was made that life's easy With Abraham quake, 'Could God be a fraud? ' Brian Johnston January 29,2014 Poet's Notes: The end of this poem comes on you suddenly but I have worked on it long and hard. Paramount for me is the idea that serving God is not always about telling the whole truth, or even keeping your word. One's highest value should always be serving God. This is a tricky area though and one should try to be sure that self interest does not overpower the interests of others. How could Abraham not wonder inside as he raised the knife to kill his own son, if God was a fraud? Even Christ as he faced the cross, the path for his life chosen by God, wondered aloud if there was not another way to achieve God's purpose.