Monday Morning Devotion-October 16, 2023
Under Promise, Over Deliver
And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
*from September 2016
Promises! Promises! They are everywhere. But how many are kept in comparison to those that are broken?
Ever have a promise that you were counting on, one you put a lot of credence in and felt confident it would be fulfilled, not come about? Felt kinda like somebody just pulled the rug out from under you and you went tumbling over.
"But I was counting on that check. I have bills to pay."
"Daddy, you promised to take me swimming?"
"Honey, you said you would pick up that cake from the grocery. The guests are coming
over and we have no dessert."
Hmm! Any of those sound familiar. Most of those while important to the recipient they are not end-of-the-world-if-they-are-broken promises. Still, someone was counting on someone else to do something that didn't get done.
Back in the day when I was selling radio advertising our motto was: "Under Promise, Over Deliver." How many times did we live up to that? Uh, well I know there was this one time that
we did. :)
It is easy to make promises. It is not always easy to keep them. The fact is that sometimes people make a promise they have no intention of keeping. Sometimes the intent is there, the heart is in the right place but something unexpected causes the promise to be broken. And that is why it is a good policy to under promise and over deliver:
When you do that the rewards for all parties are greater. How about this for a big promise? Jesus said to Peter:
"Where I am going you cannot follow."
Peter (overpromises). "Why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."
Then Jesus answered, "will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!"
Segue ahead to the mock trial of Jesus as Peter waits in the courtyard:
"You are not one of His disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter.
Peter (under delivers). "I am not," he replied.
It was a cold night and the servants and officials stood around a fire they made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself. As he stood warming, he was asked "You are not one of His disciples, are you? "
Denying it Peter answered, "I am not."
One of the high priests' servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him. "Didn't I see you with him in the olive grove?"
Again, Peter denied it and at that moment a rooster began to crow. (John 18)
Maybe that is one of the biggest over-promises and under-delivering in history. Ultimately good came out of it in that Peter was so downcast and ashamed he became one of the most dedicated disciples, spreading the Gospel message everywhere he went. He even paid for it with his own life.
Promises should be worth more than the air they are uttered on. Why do we make promises in the first place?
Four pretty good reasons are listed in an article by Andrea Ayres in an internet blog on March 19, 2014 (Why You Should Always Under-promise and Over-deliver)
We make promises to:
1) create an obligation
2) regulate and direct behavior
3) reduce uncertainty
4) build trust.
All those are good reasons to make a promise IF it is kept. When a promise is made and kept you appear trustworthy, and you act more trustworthy.
When a promise is made and broken you appear less trustworthy and act less trustworthy. So why is this so important?
Ayres writes: "Your brain wants consistency, it needs it. So, when someone makes a promise that something will happen, our brain believes that it will, which is quite comforting for the brain. When a promise isn't fulfilled, that consistency your brain was counting on disappears. It's not only a breach of trust and expectation---it's a violation of one of the most fundamental social norms that people have. This goes way beyond disappointment; it alters the way people perceive and interact with us."
A promise is a debt, so it needs to be paid.
So how can you enhance your promise keeping? First of all, before you make a promise you can ask yourself if this promise is really necessary. Sometimes we make a promise to impress someone else when we don't really have a chance to accomplish what we are promising unless we turn into Superman/Woman. Maybe it would just be better to express a desire to get it done but not promise that it absolutely will.
Second, estimate how long it would take to get this done and then double or triple the time. Then if you bring it in ahead of time you are the hero instead of the big ugly.
Third, realize that stuff happens and sometimes we can't help it that the promise got broken. So don't make excuses. Just go ahead and offer an up-front apology. Doing it this way can provide damage control and help in repairing a relationship.
God can over-promise because He can over-deliver. I tried to determine how many promises God makes in the Bible. One source said 3,573 promises. Another put the number at 5,467. Not sure if we are comparing apples to apples and oranges to oranges here.
I do know this, as one source said: "God's Word contains literally thousands of Bible promises to be claimed in faith." God's promises are there. So remember! God never over-promises and under-delivers. You can count on His promises to be fulfilled!
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for all your wonderful promises and for always being faithful to fulfill them. Amen!