When I was young and growing up I heard people complain that you just can't take people for their word anymore. I was told that at one time people would make an agreement, shake hands on the deal, and those people would live up to their word. I am sure it has gotten worse in the years that I have lived as an adult. It is difficult for me to understand people like that because I will not go back on my word. When I give my word it is good. I think many people are not like that. I have learned that from renting out houses to other people. They even sign contracts, and it doesn't mean a whole lot! In the one house three out of five of my renters were not good for their word. Two of them damaged the house, and left without paying me what they owed. After studying it a while I decided not to take them to court, but to just take my losses and move on. The other was the granddaughter of a respected business person in the community, and so I thought I could depend on her, but she left owing me also. I really let her take advantage of me because of who she was, and thinking that I could depend on her. The other house I had one renter who tried to get me to pay the deposit back to them before they had finished their obligations and cleaned the house! They did fairly well by me, except for taking a screen for a storm door either to the dump or to one of their other places. The other person who rented that house seemed promising. She had an emergency situation, and I worked with her, and she made good, but the next time she stopped paying I thought she would make good again, but she didn't. I am too embarrassed to write here the amount of money that I lost to all these people. I would say from my experience that there are a lot of dishonest people that will take advantage of you if you allow them to do that. I have good people in my houses now! One renter the county sheriff found for me, because he was tired of being neighbor to all my loser renter, so he found a good one, and they are very good people. I moved our youngest daughter into the other house, and she and her daughter are doing wonderfully, and I am very happy with them.
It is important to keep your word, and do what you say you will do. If you say you will meet someone at a certain time, then do that, or call before and let them know that you can't make it. If you say you will pay, then be sure to pay. It has to do with being responsible. If we do not keep our word we will end up hurting someone, and we will get a reputation for being unreliable. The Bible has a quite a bit to say abvout keeping your word. If you make a vow, then you must keep your vow. God wants us to keep our word that we have given. It is better not to give our word, than to give our word and then not make good on it. We need to keep our promises!