Promises

From a young age, we are told that if and when you promise something, you must deliver. Your credibility, loyalty and image depend on your deliverance. This embedded notion sticks to us just as saying thank you or apologizing. Promises carry a heavy connotation that we lean on for many reasons.

Sometimes we lean on a promise because the person who created that bond said they would deliver. We want to believe that person will never disappoint us or let us down. There is a great deal of emotional investment behind a promise. Take emotion and the relationship out of the picture, and all you are left with are words strung together, just like any other statement. Promises have emotions and values behind them.

Breaking a promise leaves permanent stains of bitterness accompanied with a gulp of the harshest liquid of disappointment. We call this moment, a reality check. Your belief in that person, whether it is yourself or another, begins to wither away. Doubt, confusion and fear settle in and you are left with thoughts of what could have been if that person or you would have delivered.

We are left believing we can never trust the person who broke that promise. Whether it was a promise that was to last an eternity or one to be kept for just a few moments, breaking a promise is a pivotal moment in each person’s life. We have all broken a promise or two, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.

The only solution to this problem is forgiveness. While it may not seem feasible or appealing at first, forgiveness is the key to move on. Finding your peace will allow you mobilize your heart, mind and soul towards a better tomorrow. This task is the hardest because it requires you to let go of the negative and indulge in the positive. Behind every great catastrophe lies a possibility to move on. We have the choice to forgive and we have the choice to resent. Promises carry a heavy burden which forgiveness is the only solution if they are not kept.

“I know it is a bad thing to break a promise, but I think now that it is a worse thing to let a promise break you.” ― Jennifer Donnelly, A Northern Light