to keep a vow

Last night I attended a beautiful wedding ceremony.  As the officiating pastor spoke to the couple, I was moved by a particular quote he read:

To keep a vow does not mean to keep from breaking it. If that were the case, marriage vows would be broken the day they were made.  This is where a vow differs from a mere promise or resolution. A resolution, once broken, must either be forgotten or made again. But a vow retains its power and validity irrespective of conduct. It is not like the signing of a legal contract and not like any other form of human promise. A person cannot promise to love another person: he can only vow to do so. A vow is, per se, a confession of inadequacy and an automatic calling upon the only adequacy there is, which is the mercy and power of God.

Mike Mason