When a girl first gets an engagement ring, there’s no shinier ring around. You find yourself staring at the sparkler several times a day, you protect it from the tiniest speck of dirt, and you polish it relentlessly. Over time though, the care and concern diminishes. You find that tiny blemishes don’t bother you as much. You realize that taking the ring off is a guarantee that you’ll lose it, not a guarantee that it will remain clean. The ring stays on your finger out of habit and rarely are you caught staring at it anymore.
Every once in a while though, you look down at your less-than-perfect sparkler and think about how bright it once shined. You polish it and are brought back to the day it was first put on your finger and the joy your heart contained. The ring does it job as it reminds you of the promises and commitments that it was given to symbolize.
Sometimes, I think we have to do the same with God’s promises. For those of us who have been Christians for a while, we can forget the power of the commitments that permeate His Word. We’ve heard His guarantee that He will never leave us or forsake us so often that we don’t consider how awesome it is that the King of the universe is on our side (Hebrews 13:5) We know that God says that He blesses those who persevere (James 1:12) but we don’t allow this to change our response to trials. We’re aware that God has said that we need not fear, He will give us what to say (Luke 21:15), and yet we’re reluctant still to share His Word.
May we be reminded that unlike the promises of a wedding ring, God’s promises can never be broken. And when we are discouraged or downcast, may we polish off those promises and may they propel us to an ever closer walk with Him.