I Give You My Word!

I give you my word!

I’ll be there, I give ya my word,” Mr. Paul called out. Why are they so hot on gett’n me back here tonight, he muttered. I don’t even have a child or grandchild who attends this school. I work Monday through Friday 7-7, that’s more than the 6 hours they pay me for. My job is to fix things when their broken, but I stay around and help the teachers move things from room to room, I paint the walls that are scuffed, and I help the fella in the cafeteria unload his van in the morning and they want me to come back tonight for some silly school thing.

Mr. Paul arrived at school the next morning and noticed how the teachers seemed to be, well, not friendly. They weren’t saying hello in the usual manner. They kind of look disappointed or sad, he thought. Hmmm, I wonder if someth’n happened to one of them.

The lunch bell rang and the children came rushing out of their class rooms and the hallways were filled with excitement. I wonder if that fire truck is back again for that safety thing. Hhhmm, he thought, they usually tell me about such things.

Paul noticed how the play yard seemed empty. That’s not usual, he thought. Usually there’s lot of children outside eat’n lunch. Oh right, he recalled, it’s Wednesday, they’re hav’n pizza. Paul walked on over to the cafeteria hall to get his lunch. He liked pizza as much as the children. He reached the back entrance of the hall and thought it odd that the door was closed, but he was distracted when he saw little Billy sit’n on the asphalt with his head hung low. “What’s going on Billy, why are ya sit’n back here by yerself”, Paul asked with concern and with a bit of knowing. “I don’t have any lunch money today”, Billy replied sadly. “Don’t fret young man, I just happ’n to have just enough money in my pocket to buy ya pizza. Now ya take this and go and get yerself some lunch.” Gee thanks Mr. Paul, “I’ll pay ya back, I give ya my word”. Mr. Paul smiled, he knew Billy would pay him back, he always did. Billy called back to Mr. Paul as he ran off ahead, “it’s mighty hot out today Mr. Paul, ya probably shouldn’t eat lunch in yer truck. Oh, that there door is locked, you’ll have to go in through the front”. Well that’s the oddest thing, Mr. Paul thought, that there door is never locked.

Mr. Paul circled the building and reached the front door. All the doors were closed, strange he thought, wonder what’s go’n on. Maybe they turned the air conditioning on.

He opened the door and was startled to see a group of children all gathered around the door, and what was more alarming is that they shouted “surprise”! “Surprise”, Mr. Paul murmured with uncertainty. He quickly looked behind him to see whose surprise he had come between, perhaps it was the principal or a teacher who had walked up behind him. To his amazement, no one was there. He turned to face the children again, and they shouted “happy birthday Mr. Paul”. “Happy birthday”, he muttered puzzled. Just then his eyes caught sight of the colorful balloons he helped to blow up the day before. He saw the remains of what was a huge birthday cake and a hand painted birthday banner. The easel that he brought from the storage room was no longer empty, and now it revealed the reason for the insistence of his attendance. This giant poster size collage was filled with pictures of him do’n tasks around the school and other pictures of the children and teachers. That silly gather’n last night he realized had been for him.

Little Billy came forward and spoke first, “Mr. Paul, we were here last night wait’n on ya, but ya didn’t cum. I told them there must be some good reason that ya didn’t show up. The teachers were mighty upset, but I told them not to be. I told them how nice ya were cuz ya would loan me money when my mom didn’t have any and ya always made me give my word that I would pay ya back. Yer are a nice man, Mr. Paul. Lot of my friends said real nice things about ya and then we asked if we could have some cake. When ya didn’t show we decided to sit me outside the cafeteria at lunch today and lock the door, cuz we knew ya’d come to get yer pizza, being it’s yer favorite. I had to play act that I didn’t have any money, so that I could run ahead and tell the others that yer were coming. Here’s yer money Mr. Paul, I’m giving it back now, I gave ya my word”, he said smiling. “We’re sorry that ya couldn’t make it to yer party, Mr. Paul, but we had a nice one for ya."

Mr. Paul’s heart felt like it had been stomped on and his eyes were welled up with tears. He didn’t know how he could have disappointed so many people. He was there for them everyday and just never thought . . . What he finally realized was that he was important to them and that he mattered. They went outta of their way to say I care and to say thank ya for all that ya do. He didn’t know that feeling, his family was estranged, and they don’t talk to him anymore.

Mr. Paul, took a good look at the sea of young eyes that looked up to him, and he said, “I am sure sorry that I didn’t make it to the special party ya all prepared for me. I didn’t know ya had this all planned, but that’s no excuse. I gave ya my word and I should have lived up to that. Thank ya all, this is the best birthday I ever had.”

The phrases “I give you my word”, “I’ll be there”, or I’ll take of care of it”, should never be used if you don’t mean it. When we are asked to do something, to show up somewhere, or to be a part of something, we need to realize that people are counting on us.

Do you get the assignment for the desert because you are always late? Have the invitations ceased because you stopped showing up? Do you hold grudges over things in the past? Are you not able to forgive and move on?

The teachers in the story seemed to hold a grudge. They were upset that Mr. Paul disappointed them and the children. These grown ups are supposed to be the example for the students in the school. However, in this case, the children are setting the example for all.

Ask God to make your heart more like a child. The ease of their forgiveness, their lack of fear of rejection, and their tender loving hearts are qualities worth mimicking.

Offer to help someone when you would otherwise not and follow through. Be early to a gathering and bring a main course dish. Make positive talk about you the norm and take yourself out of the butt of jokes.

Are you someone you would want to be friends with?

Ask God to show you what there is about your life that takes from the value of your words and makes you less accountable, trustworthy and convincing.


You are special, worthy of friendships and of love. We could all use a little tweaking here and there. It’s all good, and so are you, God gave us his word!




Inspired by Matthew 12:46-50

While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” But the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”