On this day in 1952, in the Peanuts comic strip, Lucy first held a football for Charlie Brown.

Any fan of Peanuts knows the scenario: Lucy promises to hold the football for Charlie Brown as he runs up and kicks it. Charlie Brown approaches the ball, and just as he is about to boot it, Lucy pulls the football away. Charlie Brown flies into the air and lands on his backside.

The gag started back in 1952, and it never changed. Lucy would promise, Charlie Brown would trust her, and then BOOM! He was back on the ground. When you see Charlie Brown hand his football to Lucy you want to shout, “Don’t do it, Charlie Brown! She hasn’t kept her promise yet! Don’t trust her!”

You probably can think of a time when someone broke a promise to you. Maybe a friend promised to come to your volleyball game and never showed up. Or your parent promised to take you to the movies and then didn’t. Whenever a promise is broken, it feels as if someone has just pulled the football out from under us. We’re disappointed, hurt, and we’re a little reluctant to trust that person again.

That’s why we need to be good promise-keepers, so we don’t pull a Lucy on someone else. Our words are important.

When Moses gave God’s laws to the Israelites, he made sure they understood that the promises they made were binding. No one was going to force them to fulfill their vows, but a broken promise meant a broken trust and a broken relationship.

If you want others to consider you a trustworthy person, make sure you keep your promises. Do exactly as you say you are going to do.

A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do (Numbers 30:2).

To Do

So how are you doing in the promise-keeping department? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest promise-keeper ever. What can you do to improve your ratings?

Also on this day

Today is National Moms and Dads Day.

This is Life Writing Month.

1864—Union General William T. Sherman and his troops began their famous March to the Sea during the Civil War.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.