Mark 6:23-24
The king said to the girl, "Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you."
He even swore many things to her, "I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom."
As a child we promise many things. We bargain with our parents. "Please mom, let me go with my friends to Disney….I'll do all the chores perfectly…I promise." "Dad, please let me have the car tonight, I promise I won't drive crazy." How many times as a parent have you heard that? As teenagers, young adolescents promise anything and everything to get what they want. Because our egos want to live up to our promises, we typically in the short term, fulfill those promises. We want to take control of a situation vs. let God control the situation. We even bargain with God, over little things and much greater, weighty ones. Then when the outcomes aren't what we wanted, we may become angry, disheartened, even broken in spirit.
Today's reading focuses Herod promising anything to a young dancing girl because he's infatuated with her. He'll do anything for her, even make promises that he may not be able to fulfill. Yet because of his position and situation, he is forced to back his promise, costing John the Baptist his life.
Keep the everyday things in perspective. When a great opportunity presents itself, don't rush into compromising your values or "breaking the bank" for the outcome you desire. Pray for guidance to only do the will of God the Father. Then you will have the outcome that God desires for you, which in te long run is pleasing to Him.
