I want say “yes” to God and the life He’s giving me. On the glory days, the smiling and laughing days, it’s easy. Like last Saturday when my sweet nieces and nephews made me smile while we played charades together at my daughter’s birthday party. The joy of everyone being together while we sang and she blew out the candles made my heart sing. On days like that it’s easy and natural to whisper, “Yes! This is the life I want! Thank you, God.”
Other days, it’s harder to say, “Yes.”
Like last Thursday night when my daughter said, “Mom, I’m scared I’m going blind.” And I about went through the roof with panic. Morning came early with me making phone calls. We spent hours at the doctor’s office, but the report, “Dry eye; no lasting damage,” was our happy ending.
On the traffic days, dead car battery days, and “I-had-a-fight-my-husband-in-front-of the-kids” days, the life in front of me doesn’t look so good. Not so sure I want it…
That’s when I remind myself that in all things God is working for my good.
He has a plan for each day, sometimes different than I expect. But even when I stumble, I know that in all things His promises to me are “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ Jesus. He promises to be with me and to give me grace, strength, and joy for each day.
God’s giving me one glorious, messy, wonderful, crazy life, and I want to say “Yes!” to what He’s putting in front of me.
I want to say “Yes!” to my marriage.
“Yes!” to my kids.
“Yes!” to the work He has for me.
“Yes!” to my next task right now.
I want to say “Yes!” to God and His will for me today because I know that He’s working for my good. “All of God’s promises [to me] have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” (2 Cor. 1:20a)
Now it’s your turn: Do you find it easy or hard to say “Yes!” to your life these days?
I’m linking up with Kate Motaung’s Five Minute Friday. Writers all around the world join in a flash mob of free writing. This week’s prompt is “Yes.” Join us over at Kate’s place for fun and encouragement. Also joining with Kaylene Yoder and Grace & Truth, Susan B. Mead’s #DancewithJesus, and Barbie Swihart’s Weekend Whispers.
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Amen, Betsy! I, too, want “to say ‘Yes!’ to God and His will for me today because I know that He’s working for my good.” That fills my heart with abounding joy right there. Thank you! Love your post, friend. How scary that much have been hearing your daughter’s words! I’m glad all is okay. May God bless you today and in the days ahead. It’s a blessing to be your neighbor at FMF!
Yes Julie, I pretty much went through the roof (on the inside) when she told me her vision had blurred significantly in the left eye in just one day (not because of contacts) and that her eye was burning. Wow! But God blessed us with an appointment with a specialist that very morning. He is so good!
Oh, nice post!
I find that I do not have a choice but to say Yes. It’s the only way I can be effective; and saying No would simply make the job I’m assigned – the witness I’ve been given, that beauty shines all the brighter when everything’s dark – it would just make that job harder, or impossible.
It’s not a matter of feeling. It’s a matter of faith.
Yes, Andrew! Coming from you, this brings a tear to my eye right now. Beauty shines bright in your life.
Such an encouraging post Betsy. I do find it hard to say “yes” to God in my current season. So thankful He’s patient with me.
Oh Barbie, my heart goes out to you as I think of you. May God give you grace for each new day, new hope, new doors opening.
I am also not so good at saying yes in such times. Mostly I come to realize it afterwards that this was a situation I should’ve said yes to…Lots to learn! Thanks for the reminder, Betsy!
We all have lots to learn, Katha! Thanks for stopping by here today.
Yeah, Betsy, you pretty much nailed that one!
Grace to say yes even on the days that holler “NO” is a God-gift.
That’s a funny thought, Michele: some days just holler no! But we’ll keep saying yes!
Thanks Betsy, beautifully put.
I want to say yes to the things God wants to me to do rather than expecting him to say yes to the things I want to do.
Beautifully put yourself, Rachel! So true that often we’re expecting HIM to say yes to what WE want!
I want to always say yes, but honestly there are times when my flesh wants to say “no more.”
Thanks for sharing your struggles too, Betsy.
Love you
You’re a Yes Woman, Sandy. Such a great example to me. I don’t know how you do everything you do.
nice to see you betsy. i haven’t seen you recently. i don’t think it was me. i think you were on the road if i remember right. nice to see you again:) loved the post. saying yes to the nice and neat as well as the ugly and messy? great help isn’t it?
Thanks for the visit, Martha. Yes, I’ve been moving, then travelling, finally back to writing! 🙂
Betsy, I love how you are always so real. Those fights with your hubs and the worries about your kids. People have a tendency to look at those in your position and think “well, she’s perfect”, but you’ve shown us very clearly that you’re just like us.
I’m so glad that your daughter is not going blind!
Bless you, Betsy!
Believe me, Ruthie! I’m glad she’s not going blind too. Yes, we cross-cultural people are not so different from anyone else. Sometimes we’re just a lot more messed up! ha ha ha. 🙂 We’re all in this together though.
Thanks so much for this, Betsy. It’s so hard to say yes sometimes. The other day my son was so difficult & I said to my husband that I just wanted to run out into the middle of the street and scream. I didn’t do that, because I’m supposed to be an adult, but sometimes … !!!! I guess Yes is acceptance, isn’t it: saying “Lord, this is what You’ve given me and I open my hands and receive it.” Which we can only do b/c of His grace anyway.
I really enjoy this Five Minute Friday thing: I’ve just begun connecting with Kate Motaung’s blog myself and may start to participate in these linkups sometime soon.
Glad you managed to keep yourself from running into the street and screaming, Jeannie. Though I can only imagine how much you wanted too. May God give you grace for each day, to greet it with open hands. (To me too.) I really admire you, Jeannie.
I think you’d be GREAT at 5 minute Friday, I hope you try it. (In reality, I take longer, but not too long, and it’s kind of fun to both write and see what others wrote.)
What a “real” post, Betsy. I’ve had those “Yes, I love my life!” days, and those days where I’d rather crawl back in bed and ignore it days. And the days where I’d just love to escape to Australia. But, through it all, I wouldn’t trade all that God’s given me, precisely because it’s the joys and the trials that conform me into the image of Jesus. So, I choose to say yes to the great days, and the make-me-cry days.
Loved this post today!
Yes! God does work things out for our good. It’s not always easy to accept the reality and the roadblocks, but they are gentle reminders from God that we just need to keep saying ‘Yes!’ to him :).
I’m learning more to say ‘yes’ to Him and ‘no’ to me. some days are harder than others but obedience brings blessing and I keep walking in the grace He gives for each new day! Thanks for this encouragement. I needed it today! Happy Friday to you!
oh yeah, there are many days I say ‘yes’ only by His grace and an adoration for Him that beats back the circumstances …
thanks for this encouragement, friend …
i hope your weekend is filled with blessings and sunshine, hugs and cozy rest …
;-}
Betsy,
Thanks so much for the encouragement to say “Yes” to God on the days that perhaps bring tears or pain. God gives us mountain tops so we can walk through the valleys. Learning to say “Yes” no matter where I am along the journey. Great encouragement!
Blessings,
Bev
Thanks for your wisdom, Bev. Ilike what Holly Barrett said, “Saying yes to something now doesn’t mean it will be forever!”
so very true.
Oh, Yes! How I want to keep saying “Yes”, yet some days it’s so hard. Saying “No” seems so much more comfortable sometimes. Great encouragement to keep pressing forward – and that it’s ok if we don’t always feel strong as we say “yes”. Glad your daughter’s vision is OK!
Believe me, I was glad too Kathryn. Oh yes, let’s keep pressing forward, past the hard days too!
I love how you wrote about “yes” for FMF. Saying “yes” on the hard days is what it’s all about. God doesn’t just ask us for easy but He always asks us to say “yes’. Blessings Betsy! Enjoy your weekend and thanks for sharing this at Weekend Whispers.
Thank you Mary. I’m enjoying getting to know you on-line! May you have a blessed week yourself!
I have found it hard to say yes to where God has me for now. But I’ve recently realized that yes now doesn’t mean yes forever, and that brave may mean saying yes regardless, when God is involved. So glad all is well with your daughter! Love you, friend!
That is real wisdom, Holly. Remembering that saying yes now doesn’t mean it’s yes forever. I’m finding some things difficult now, so that’s encouragement. Thanks for that.
Funny, my post is about saying no, and yours is about saying yes! But really, they’re the same thing. My saying no to my flesh leads me to saying YES to God’s will, God’s plan. Conversely, my saying YES to God’s will and plan enable me to say no to my flesh. LOVE this!
Amen, Mary. You’re right. Saying yes to one thing involves saying no to another!