“No, I don’t want to. No, you can’t make me. No, go away. No. No. No.” Sound familiar? Sound like a two year old? Better yet, sound like a teenager? This was the response I received from my teenage son in an attempt to get him up for church on Sunday morning.
My frustration was definitely rising. I really wanted to grab is feet and drag him out of bed. My patience had worn thin. Do I force it? Do I exert consequences? I wrestled with this as I finished fixing my hair. What would exerting force accomplish? Would I actually get the result I wanted?
It didn’t take long for me to start thinking about all of the times I have done this to God. How many times has my first response to his requests been no? How many times have I thought God’s plans are too hard? How many times have I thought I’m not capable of doing what He asks? How many times have I said no because I didn’t feel worthy?
In fact, I have been doing it again this past week. I was asked to take on a new role at church. My first response was eh. I said I would pray about it before making a decision. I said that primarily to bide time. My first thought was “no.”
35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36 NIV).
Then I did actually take time to reflect and pray. It became clear that my negative reaction was an effort to pull away from the church which is precisely why God is nudging me to say yes. So here goes, I’m going to lean in, trust God and see what He has in store. My prayer is that I get to see His hand at work in unexpected ways. I’m trusting He knows what I need more than I do.
Are you saying no in places where God wants you to say yes? Is that instant “no” the best choice? Are you trusting God to lead you into what you need not just what you want? Share your experience here and breathe life and bring hope to others.
Hi Mary,
Maybe, God wants us to take a break and say “No”.
God created the universe in a consecutive six-day, He rested on the seventh day. We, as human beings, need a break sometimes.
My daughter is 15 years old. I seldom force her to go to church if she doesn’t want to. She sometimes said, “Mom, I am tired, I want to sleep more today, no church.” I just let her sleep. Who knows, she might have a wonderful dream encountering God……
There are those moments too. Discernment can be hard.