“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all; either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes” or “No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Matthew 5:33-37

Dear Jesus, How hard it must be for you to watch us puny little humans make promises and ask others to trust our ability to make things happen for them, when you know all along that your heavenly father holds our every breath in the palm of his hand. Your father has complete control of my life. I just want to be faithful to my word and let him take care of everything else. Help my generation to quit flippantly saying, “I swear to God.’ as if your name is free for our slang. Make us reverent and dependent on your father just as you were perfectly during your entire life. Our lives are in his hands. It gives us peace but it also makes us careful not to boast about ourselves and our ability to accomplish anything without him. Amen.

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.