Y ou have also heard it said, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, do not take oaths at all. You haven’t the strength or moral character to keep them. And do not swear by your integrity, for you haven’t the ability to keep your integrity any more than you can make one hair on your head white or black. You cannot be honorable by taking an oath or by determining to be a man of your word. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this is pious ambition.

Sometimes truth is harder to take than fiction. It is a hard truth to realize that I haven’t the character to always follow through on my commitments. I think Jesus is saying that my “intentions” cannot affect what I cannot foresee or control. My oaths and promises cannot make them white or black. It is better to deal with things as they come, be their reality harsh or comfortable. Come to think of it, is this not more than sensible?

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