Yes & No

But let your “Yes” mean “Yes” and your “No” mean “No”…James 5:12

Wow did this one smack be upside the head!  I think I would be shamefully astounded if I counted the times I approached things looking for the “easier” way to do them.   More than a few times I’ve re-routed plans and projects searching for increased benefit and decreased personal discomfort!  The biggest problem with that is what I usually get in return is minimal satisfaction!  I also shudder when I think of the things in my life that lack true commitment and consistent effort.

I remember when Jason was an infant.  He loved sleeping if it was light outside but not so much during the middle of the night.  Kevin was 18 months old and I remember some of those days and nights felt so long.  In my exasperation and exhaustion one day I was pouring out my heart and frustration to a wise friend and she said, “You’re looking at this all wrong; your goal is to get him to sleep so you can sleep too but your mission should be to relax, rock, pray and enjoy your precious son.”  I thought she was nuts at first but I was desperate enough to try it her way and she was right.  It was hard to remember that I had said “Yes” to motherhood and all that came with it.  I was feeling deprived and uncomfortable…it was all about what I was missing and giving up and not what I had been given.  The next many nights were different.  I rocked and held him with a peace I hadn’t had before and said “Yes” to all the parts of motherhood and believed with all my heart that God would give me the strength and patience to chase my 18 month old the next day even if I didn’t get much sleep. That’s exactly what He did!  It didn’t take long before Jason got his sleeping straightened out and I never admitted it out loud but I kind of missed that quiet time in the middle of the night with a new baby.

God calls us so many times a day and He leads us so tenderly but so much of it we miss.  I’m so busy trying to make things easy on myself I often lack the consistency to follow through on the things I say “Yes” to in my faith life.  I am also painfully aware of the times I vow to say “No” to screen time or procrastination only to let it dribble into my hours leaving little or no time for reading, prayer or study.  I think St. James was speaking directly to me.  I suppose if I spent more time honoring my yes’s and my no’s instead of trying to negotiate an easier path God would have some abundant blessings for me and I would be filled with great satisfaction.  I can be a stubborn woman though! 

When I finally stopped fussing about my fussing baby and just enjoyed being in the moment God honored my “yes”.  He gave me joy, peace and energy because I was more concerned with the minutes I gained with my baby and less worried about the minutes of sleep I lost. As Lent approaches, I plan to make a list of “Yes” and “No” and I will spend this prayerful season consistently honoring both…I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

A Seed To Plant:  Make a list of “Yes” and “No” things that you can offer God the Father this Lenten season.  Ask Him to show you where you need to say yes and where He’d like you to say no.​

Blessings on your day!