When No is the Better Yes...Day 1

I have passed over scores of nos to say yes at the wrong time, to the wrong thing.

Some of those results live in my memory bank in a file folder labeled Deep Regrets.

Of all the things that we as parents teach our children, do we spend enough time coaching them to speak a guiltless no when the time is right?

Last night, at a gathering of women, the issue came up. One of the participants was finding herself in a situation where she pondered that no may have been the better answer than her yes. What struck me was her question:

How do you say no--when no is right--without feeling guilty?

So that's where we're headed over the next few days.

What does God assemble in His Word that would help us stand against that deep persuader--guilt--and choose to say no when it is, in fact, the better yes in a given moment?

How do we coach our children to practice those skills? Can we coach something we don't practice ourselves?

When does no please God because He wired us to know, at certain times, that no is the right answer?

Where are the cheerleaders of no? Shouldn't we be helping each other know when no is the best and right course of action and fortify each other against the sure-to-come attack of guilt?

When no feeds our strength, yes feeds our weakness.

We are asking God to help us build a fort of strength and wisdom around the concept of no for those times when it is the better yes:

Lord, please show up here the next few days with Your words, Your reassurance, Your assembling of truth on the matter of no as the better yes. We want Your knowhow on the subject.

Photo: keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk.

Tomorrow: the horse race of sex--does the horse named Abstinence even have a fighting chance?

Comments are welcome at feedyourstrength@gmail.com.