Character Building

But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no so that you may not fall under condemnation.
-James 5.12

Do people trust when you tell them you will be somewhere? Is there a chance you won't show up or cancel at the last minute? Does your "yes" mean maybe, if I feel like it? Or do you say yes to everything and over commit yourself so that you cannot possibly do it all?

The Book of James always kicks me into thoughtful musings because his truthful words are what we need to hear, and oftentimes it is tough to hear it. James is telling us to stick to our word, whether it be yes or no. If we say yes and do not follow through and do not mean it, it diminishes our trustworthiness so that we have to swear to someone you truly mean it. What does that say about everything else we say?

That's not how it should be. True, we have so much going on in our lives and we feel guilty to say no to something good, but James is concerned with our characters, as we want to be people who can be trusted in what we say. Sticking to our yes or no and keeping that commitment is crucial to building good character. Making a habit of saying yes and backing out of it shows a weakness of character that James is pointing out. It may seem like such a small thing, you think, but it is the small seeds that build up in you the wholeness of you that grows into something very good or very bad.

So when we say yes, let it be a thoughtful and committed yes. Let us be true to our words in a time where those values are taken in such a lackadaisical manner.