Day Five // The Best Yes
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God’s Word, Ways, and Wonder /Chapter 5 – Pages 48 to 62
[divider type=”dotted” color=”gray”]Today’s post comes to us from the host of The Intentional Filling, Bree Blum.
[divider type=”dotted” color=”gray”]Can I let you in on a little secret. I’m not good at saying “no”.
Now, now, if you’re readying yourself to send me a text, email or telegram wanting to know what my plans are for the weekend because you need someone to house sit, babysit, wash the dog, or whatever else is on your to-do list, think again, lady!
But in all seriousness, it’s those commitments that often run long-term that I struggle with most. The thought of two little letters and I become all verklempt.
Six and a half years ago the church I grew up in decided to start a contemporary service as a way to further engage the youth of the church and community. Little did we know that the youth would rarely attend and instead the elderly of the nearby high rise would be our faithful attendees.
Somehow over the years I became the unofficial leader. It involved a lot of planning on my part, but I loved every minute of it. The opportunity to connect with such a diverse community of believers and come to adopt so many “grandmas” and “grandpas” into my fold was such a blessing.
And then one evening I didn’t love it any more. The attitude of a prominent member of the group had changed something inside of me. But how could I say “no” and walk away from leading this group? By walking away, I would certainly disappoint them. And anyways, wasn’t it the right thing, the Christian thing to do, to stay; even if I was wearing myself thin in the process?
Whenever there is a conflict between what we feel we’re expected to do and what we feel we should do, it’s time to step back from the decision. And seek clarity from the only source free of the entanglements of misguided opinions and unrealistic expectations. God.
But God holds the answer, in His word, in the ways He works and the wonderment of it all.
I was blessed to hear beautiful words of wisdom testified this past weekend that really touched my heart.
“It’s so easy to say yes to everything, but it’s stopping in the decision-making process and being certain we’re selecting what is best for ourselves and for God. And how we do that is determining if the choice will help you to live out the gospel.”
Some might call that coincidental given the chapters we are focusing on this week. I say, there’s no such thing as coincidences, just God.
Live out the gospel. Those are some big shoes to fill! But it’s a do-able task. The Bible even gives a clear-cut answer on how you can go about doing just that:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17
In other words…
- WORD – immerse yourself in God’s word, so that it flows forth from you without effort
- WAYS – follow in the ways of Jesus’ teaching; to go forth and make disciples of all nations in His name
- WONDER – never become blind to the wonder of what God can do in the lives of those who love Him
“A best yes will require having the courage to say no to other things… That’s the only way to ensure there’s space to run and take that leap of faith toward the best things.” – Lysa TerKeurst
I made a difficult but grace-filled BEST YES decision in leaving my post as the leader of our small Sunday night services.
Like I said, I’m not good at saying “no”. Instead I approached the decision as saying my BEST YES to myself and the opportunities that God has for that open time slot.
I’m excited to see what He has for me!
[divider type=”dotted” color=”gray”]How can you use 1 Corinthians 13 as a way to filter your decision making?
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