What’s in a promise?
From 1 September, Girl Guides and their leaders have been required to pledge themselves to a new promise. The old promise was: “I promise that I will do my best to love my God, to serve the Queen and my country, to help other people and to keep the Brownie/Guide Law. The new one is this: “I promise that I will do my best to be true to myself and develop my beliefs, to serve the Queen and my community, to help other people and to keep the Brownie/Guide Law.” Does the change matter? Yes, it does!
The Bible shows us that it is precisely ‘being true to ourselves’ that is our problem as human beings! What we need is a change of nature! Thankfully, through faith in Christ, that change is possible. Paul reminded his Ephesian friends of what happened to them when they became Christians: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).
So, if you have a daughter who is a Brownie or Guide, can I suggest that the last thing you want is for her to be true to herself?! At least it poses this question: Which self am I asking her to be true to? Her old self, or her new self? It matters!