Message from the Chaplain

Have you ever been at the shopping centre and heard a parent say to their child, "If you don't stop that straight away we’re going home now?"

The child doesn't stop, so the parent says, "This is your last warning". 

Still the child doesn't stop - but still the parent doesn't take any action. 

The 'final warnings' just keep on coming. 

What does the child do? 

They do whatever they want. Why? Because the words had no meaning. 

Let your "Yes" be yes and your "No," no. (James 5:12b) 

This verse from James reminds us that saying what we mean is just the beginning. Meaning what we say is the next step. We need to show people by our action that really did mean it. If we're not planning on doing something, then don’t make an empty promise. 

Following through on what we say shows people that we can be trusted and that our words are not trite. To help people respect us, and value our words, we need to make sure we place value on them too.