We are all familiar with the phrase “A man’s word is his bond”. It means that a person’s word, their spoken promise, represents a sacred obligation. We trust them to keep it, and we see it as a binding commitment. The phrase embodies the timeless principles of integrity, trustworthiness, and reliability. By living into “Our Word” with our actions, we demonstrate our character and principles.
Have you ever given your word? Made a promise with every intention of keeping it? Have you sworn a solemn oath? It is safe to say that in some way, shape, or form, all of us have done both of these. If we are honest with ourselves, sometimes we hit the mark living into “Our Word,” even actually hitting the mark really well, and sometimes we fall short. Nevertheless, when we own falling short, we grow and recognize that we are human and fallible.
Promises and oaths can range from something that may be as simple as a promise to others to do or not to do something. Or it may be an oath taken as a youth, such as the Scout Oath, “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight”. The Scout Oath lays a foundation and creates an ethos for a youth to use in living out their lives.
We’ve all said the Pledge of Allegiance, and some reading this article have made an oath/pledge to uphold the mission and values of a service organization such as Rotary, Lions, or Kiwanis. What if, in setting our own ethos, we seek to better live into these oaths and pledges, with more than our words, making them a daily and important part of the very fabric of our lives? The answer to that “what if” question is that we would be better in every role in our lives, as men, fathers, husbands, leaders, church members, community servants, and citizens in this great country. There is power in “Our Word” that goes beyond the visible outcomes of keeping our word. It is a deeper power that affects and shapes our lives, the lives of those around us, and strengthens the future.
This month, we will be celebrating Veterans’ Day as we honor those men and women who have and continue to stand guard at Freedom’s Gate. Each of them swore a solemn oath when they began their military service. It reads, “ I,… do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
This oath has great gravity as these men and women have been and will be called upon to risk or give their very lives protecting our freedom. We owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude, so I am asking each of you to make a promise to the entire audience reading this article – promise that you will take intentional time this month, especially on November 11th, to thank a Veteran and/or their family for living into their solemn oath and for standing guard at Freedom’s gate. To those veterans reading this article, we all offer you our great thanks for your sacrifice and service!
The military’s solemn oath is an outgrowth of an oath and pledge made long ago by several brave men on or about July 4th, 1776. The Declaration of Independence closes with the most solemn of oaths, which the Founding Fathers memorialized with their signatures. It reads, “…And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” It was a bold statement of faith, a binding commitment to one another, and a pledge to give all that they had to the vision of our great nation. History tells us that they each lived into that pledge, and their sacrifices ensured the freedom that we enjoy.
Bringing this closer to home, we should ask ourselves what promises we might make to ourselves. Here are a few that you may be able to relate to:
- I am going to take better physical care of myself
- I am going to be more involved in my community or church
- I am going to volunteer more
- I am going to start going back to church
- I am going to strike a better balance between work, family, and other commitments
- I am going to schedule time to enjoy life without rushing to and from things
- I am going to run for political office or seek to be on a board and serve my community, state, or country
- I am going to seek to vote in every election
- I am going to learn a hobby, take a certain trip, and visit an old friend
- When asked to do “one more thing,” I am going to use the shortest sentence, “No,” followed by a mannerly, “No, thank you.”
- I am going to retire while I can still do and enjoy the things on my bucket list
- I will take the time every week to enjoy a sunrise and a sunset, to look at the stars, to spend quiet time in nature
- I will practice random acts of kindness to those I meet
One or more of these may ring true for you, and if they do make a promise, a solemn oath to yourself to do it. Take that small but necessary next step, let that step develop into a habit and an essential part of your life and wellbeing. Do it with the same conviction and gravity as the solemn oaths mentioned above. Your life deserves no less.
To aid you, I suggest that you simply borrow or adopt the straightforward words of the Scout Oath and pledge to yourself and those whose lives are intertwined with yours, that “On my honor, I will do my best …” and live into it one day at a time. Don’t measure today by yesterday or measure today by tomorrow. In Matthew 6:34, Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).
Pablo Picasso once said, “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” Sobering but true. We can say “one day” or “day one”; we have to decide. Make today the day, make this the moment, make yourself a promise and live into that oath to yourself with the full force of your convictions. For me, Day One sounds like a new and great adventure, being true to one’s self, powered not only by the mystery of the future but by the power of my Word.
More from the BetterMENt column: Keeping your word also means keeping the connections that matter. Read The Art of the Note, on a small gesture with weight beyond itself. For integrity in conversation, read The Importance of Dialogue.
