Yes

Make Them Say “No”

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Checked out a podcast episode today entitled “Why Leaders Need to Make Bold Proposals.” J.R. Briggs shares stories how he’s worked through his fear leading to a tendency not ask for what he wants. He’s landed on two questions to ask himself before asking for something that creates angst or fear:

  1. What’s the worst they could say to my request?
  2. Can I handle a “no” to my request?

My version of these two thoughts I’ve shared many times is “What’s the worst that can happen”? If I or the group I’m in considering an ask can handle the worst, why not ask?

These thoughts are reinforced by this tweet image I saw recently:

I liked the self-rejection line. The mindset I’ve adopted is that the other party has to say no. Don’t say it for them by not asking.

More importantly, don’t say it for yourself. Some of us are really good at saying no to ourselves about the wrong things. The things that are the next step for us, the breakthrough, the healing, the answer we’ve been looking for can naturally have a fear factor attached. The courage for us to accept the no from the other party may be all we need. In these cases, say yes to the courage in order to avoid the missed opportunity of your no.

Family Illustration: Last March our mother turned 85. While celebrating in the Daytona Beach area, we scheduled a family photo session. The photographer commented it was too bad we didn’t take advantage of it being bike week to somehow include a bike in our props. Seed planted. Let’s just say, had we not asked the owner of this bike for a photo op at lunch after our session, we wouldn’t have this memorable photo:

Thank you to our mother and the bike owner for saying yes.

“No” Can Become a Better “Yes”

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Got a “no” this week. Many times I’m perfectly content with one, even freed. This one…no.

48 hours later I was. How? It started by expressing honest reaction and ended with exploring agreeable alternatives.

Left in react mode, “no” can quickly become divisive, hurtful, accusatory, disappointing, even grudge-building. A pivot to option-seeking tells everyone as bridge-building as possible, “This isn’t over. Game on!”

God gives out “no”s frequently. And unfortunately, his children can stay in react mode far too long. A chasm grows that isn’t beautiful nor life-giving. Noone truly enjoys this season.

Finding ourselves in a God-forsaken chasm doesn’t have to be the end result. In fact, the pursuit to rising out of it could result in a closer relationship yet to be experienced.

This pursuit could start something like this: “I hear your ‘no.’ Can we talk about other options?” This conversation often leaves me in a much better place, chasm closed.

Go ahead. Lower any pride in the way. You might be surprised how much better the resulting “yes” is. So much better.

Understanding Yes

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Yesterday gave me the answer to a question. The question had to do with having said yes and wondering how that particular yes was going to work out. Turns out, pretty good…way better than expected.

The older I get the more weight each yes carries. What I’ve noticed this year focusing on flow, saying yes doesn’t always mean everything’s in order. In fact, the best yes results so far have started with very little in order.

Improving on flow and yes seems to only come by experience. It’s a product of better listening, deeper trust, and reduced paralysis from fear. These improvements, our growth, comes from both our wins and our losses.

For example, David started out with some significant yes wins. He didn’t always have everything in order the moment he said yes, like when he said, “I can take down Goliath.” Five stones later, the flow and the yes made sense. Years later, that win was countered by another yes (Bathsheba) that resulted in lifelong losses. The level at which he flowed with God determined the win or loss of his yes.

Abraham is another example. When God first asked him for a yes, Abraham had no idea how it would work out. But he followed and reaped the benefits of not expecting to understand everything ahead of time. The bumps in the road between then and saying yes to sacrificing Isaac certainly had some losses, but Abraham learned from them and improved his flow and yes to an ultimate level of sacrifice (Genesis 22).

Determining the unity of a yes with Holy Spirit flow can be tricky. One key is discerning where the wish to answer yes is coming from-my own desires or his. And often that discernment can look like asking these three questions:

  1. What is God telling me?
  2. What is God not telling me?
  3. What do I want God to tell me?

None of these questions are bad questions. But I’ve found that the only one that really matters is what is God telling me. Without the answer to that question, a yes or no shouldn’t even be given. I’m also finding that my best understanding of yes is pretty simple. If God is asking for a yes, it’s the best answer. His higher ways and thoughts support my yes. My understanding, secondary to his glory, will come when he’s done with my yes.

Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash

Three Things I’m Thankful For

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This quote I read last night leads me to three things I’m thankful for today:

Maybe part of the reason we have such a hard time with no is that we aren’t still long enough to discover the yes. Think about it. This would be a great exercise on a personal retreat. Ask yourself, “What is the higher Yes in my life that will become the filter through which I make decisions?” Write it down and declare it to those around you.

So this Thanksgiving I’m thankful for:

  • Higher Yeses – These come from God’s purpose for our lives. Living in them brings him glory.
  • Uniqueness – We all have unique higher yeses, also from God. Accepting and owning ours and encouraging others to do the same brings him glory.
  • Being Seen and Heard – I’m often reminded that God sees and hears us through Hagar and Ishmael’s story in Genesis 16. In our decision making, in our stillness, in our wandering, in our pain, in our blessing-in all of life, his seeing and hearing us reveals his glory.

May his glory be known by our choosing higher yeses, owning our uniqueness, and pursuing being seen and heard by him.

Firsts

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Mission trips usually contain firsts. In the last 48 hours, I’ve had a couple.

  • Yesterday I led a relay game for kids ages 4-9 carrying eggs on a spoon.
  • Today I was asked to share in a session on marriage with 11 couples at Rahwa Baptist.


Have your “yes” ready, even for firsts.