A Promise Kept
In 1969, 7 -year old Niki was in the hospital having some tumors removed from her throat. While in the hospital she met Charita, another girl her age, who had a rare form of cancer. Niki found out that because of the cancer Charita would never be able to have children of her own. The two girls formed a friendship, and one night while the two of them were alone in their hospital room, Charita was crying. Niki came over to Charita’s bedside to comfort her. She told her not to cry and that when she got married and had her own baby she would let her mentor her baby and if it was a girl would even name it after her.
After their stint in the hospital Niki and Charita kept in touch until 6 months later when Charita’s family moved from Los Angeles to New Mexico. In 1983 Niki married and in 1987 had a daughter whom she named Charita. Niki then went on the Unsolved Mysteries show looking for her childhood friend Charita so she could help mentor little Charita. In 1990 Niki and Charita were happily reunited.
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
In a world where people will make empty promises just to get whatever they want, 7-year old Niki stayed true to her promise even as an adult, and became married and with a child. While it’s true that our promises are like ropes of sand and we can only trust God’s promises (2 Peter 1:4) It is also true that by God’s grace we too, like Jesus and 7-year old Niki , can stay true to our word. After all, even while the Bible teaches us not to put trust in ourselves or anyone else, the Bible also speaks of those who “keep their promises even when it hurts.” Psalm 15:4 NLT
This quarter we are studying the promise God made to man. One of the ways we reflect the image of God is by being men and women of our word. Sure, we make mistakes and have made broken promises. This is one reason why I am careful about making promises. Instead of promising to help a friend, I tell them I will try, but make it clear I am not making a promise.
God’s promises are the only promises we can rely on. Still, by God’s grace, we can be men and women of our word. By God’s grace, we can be faithful to our promises even if it hurts.
Can you share a time when someone showed you God’s love by staying true to their promise?
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I am confused by the first line of this which contains some numbers. It looks like the year and the age of someone is run together?
Yvonne thank you for the tip. I just edited it and added a comma between the year and the age of the girl.
Kathy and I were married about 42 years ago. She was wheelchair bound but we knew we loved each other and that the Lord would always keep care of us. Shortly after we were married we took a weekend camping trip into a mountain canyon. On driving home, down a rocky canyon road, the steering box failed and I decided that I could push her wheelchair down the road until I could find a house where I could call my father in law to come and get us(I was much younger then and thought nothing was impossible for me). I could see lights away in the distance but it seemed the farther I pushed those lights in the distance did not get closer. I was starting to get tired and cold. I gave my extra clothing to my wife to keep warm. I finally see a vehicles lights in the distance coming our way. It was Bill, my father in law. He thought something was not quit right and came to look for us. My wife passed to her rest two years ago but I will always be grateful to a God who watches over us. I do not know if this an appropriate comment but I had to say it.
Thomas, thank you for this beautiful story of your faithfulness to your wife and your father-in-law's faithfulness to his family. It is a very appropriate comment.
Thank you so much for sharing your comment! It is a beautiful testimony of your promise-keeping to God to take the best care of your life partner until death! I hope my husband and I can grow old and develop a deeper love for each other, and for our Lord
A Promise Kept
'Can you share a time when someone showed you God’s love by staying true to their promise?'
The church/organization had promised if possible to help its members financially. When I was younger because my parent couldn't afford to pay for my exams the church stepped in and did so, it was a gift to me and not a loan. As a teenager I was very grateful because my future hanged on the exams. I promised the Lord when I got older and started working and have the money I will repay it back although it was a gift. It took me some years but I got through and repaid/returned the money to the church.
Lynn, instead of paying it back it sounds more like you were paying it forward for others. Good job!