“YES!”
Every morning, I wake up to the chance to say Yes.
Yes to putting Jesus first. Yes to receiving fresh mercy for this unknown day. Yes to valuing my children as God’s treasures. Yes to stewarding them according to His will. Yes to honoring my husband. Yes to love, hope, joy.
That is a LOT of Yes! My cup overflows.
But there is the underside of Yes, an underside that others see, looking in from the outside. An underside the enemy loves to trip me up with, drawing my focus away from the abundance of my life.
The fact is that every Yes, every single one, is also a No.
You know those diverging paths in the wood? You can’t take both. Whichever one you decide to say Yes to, you’ve said No to the other.
That’s an awfully simple concept, but it can haunt me at times.
You’re stuck at home. You’re not doing anything fun with your life. Ha! You can barely play through a Chopin waltz! You’re always saying No to people — don’t you think they have a low opinion of you?…
And so on and so on.
But I am learning, and it is this: Every time I am haunted or taunted by all of the “NOs” in my life, I remember — those are simply the result of a huge, resounding Yes!
Stuck at home? I take that upside-down view and flip it back into focus: I am saying Yes to an amazing opportunity — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — to mother these children.
Saying no to outside opportunities? I am saying Yes to fully investing my talents and energies in educating five people. I’m sorry. Can we just read that again and let it sink in? I am shaping five people who will be men and women. That is a HUGE yes!
And true, giving myself to those things means saying NO to other things. That’s the way Yes works, after all. I say, “I do” at an altar to Ryan Dunphey, and I am also saying, “I do not” to every other man on the planet. I say Yes to Jesus, and I am also saying NO to living for myself.
And I guess the point of all this, fellow mamas, is that we have the opportunity every day to reaffirm, joyously, our Yes to the Lord in this season of investing. Don’t let the haunting “NOs” steal your joy. Don’t let the temptation to say Yes to the wrong things at the wrong time infringe on your first and foremost callings. (Because remember: every Yes is also a No!) Protect. Cultivate. Give yourself completely. This opportunity won’t be here forever. These children will grow and be gone. Today is the day to give yourself fully to this amazing Yes.
Excellent. I love this, Danica. Thank you.
Beautiful words! I wholeheartedly agree! I said yes to homeschooling for many years birth-eighth grade for one and birth-sixth for the other son. I do not regret a single movement given to them. They both credit me with knowing them better than anyone else on the planet because I was with them for so many years. Now, they are both junior…one in college and one in high school. Now, I say “yes” to other things and even volunteer to help because I now I the time. This stage of life is very different but that was how God planned it.
beautiful word, yes ? enjoyed this so much
ha! that little question mark originated as a heart :)
I know this is an old post (I found it through Lore’staat blog) but what do you do when people at church pressure you to say yes to several tasks and meetings more often?
Hi, Evie!!
Church cultures vary, but I know that many assume a large amount of availability. I have learned from faithful mentors that as much as I live to serve, and my life is not my own, I am also clearly called to prioritize my service to my family. And if my “serving” means stealing what’s rightfully my family’s (whether that be my time or just energy that prohibits me from investing as fully into my home and family as I need to), then I need to jealously guard and be willing to say no. Perhaps the Lord is calling you to be an example of a woman who prizes her calling to her family! And who knows — there may be young moms watching you who need to see the freedom there is in Christ to joyfully say YES and carefully also say no.
Be blessed!