““For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” (2 Corinthians 1:20, ESV)
Yes, yes, yes, and yes! We love to say yes. Who doesn’t like to say yes? It is so easy to say yes. It makes us feel good to say yes. Yes doesn’t disappoint others.
Saying yes means we don’t say no. Saying no is hard. No disappoints. Saying no means we can’t have it all.
But have you considered that saying yes means saying no? You can’t say yes without saying no. When you say no to more time at work, you are saying no to more time at home. When you say yes to TV, you are saying no to a good book. When you say yes to the Oreo cookies, you are saying no to the diet.
To say yes to the things you want say yes requires that you learn to say no. One of the biggest obstacles in life is our inability to say no. We have not been taught to say no. We have been promised that we can have it all. It has been ingrained in us that whatever we set our hearts and desires toward, we can accomplish, achieve, and obtain.
But we live a life of limited resources. There is limited time. There is limited money. There is limited energy. There is limited attention Because we can do something does not mean that we should. There are many good things that hold promised to greater fulfillment and efficiency. But every time we say yes, there is a cost. Every time that you say yes, ask yourself to what are you saying no.
Keep in mind that we serve an unlimited God. He often equips and empowers us beyond our limitations. But that is not a license to always say yes. The Apostle Paul said: “I can do all things through Christ” (see Philippians 4:13). What he did not say was I can do everything.
The answer to fulfillment is not found in accomplishing more nor obtaining more. It is about being more. It is being fully present with our God and with others. Our “Yes” is Jesus. So even when it might be scary or difficult to say no, we confidently say no because we know that Jesus is our Yes! We don’t need everything because we’ve got something greater than everything. With Jesus, we learn that the “you can’t miss” opportunity is something to which we can courageously say no.
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