Say No, Day 55: 100 Days to Brave (Advent Day 17)

A few years ago I had read a bestselling book titled, The Best Yes. Written by Lysa TerKeurst, who was my very first introduction to Christian women authors and speakers and All. The. Things. I so love and respect. (Well, this honor actually began with Joyce Meyer, who has Lysa beat by about a decade, but Lysa was the first of many who pulled me into this Christian-Women's-writing space.)

I so appreciated the applicable advice in it, and my very favorite portion, my greatest take-away was saying "no" to the good so that we can say "yes" to the best. The Best Yes. 

Annie reiterates this premise in today's devotional, referencing the book of Daniel, and most specifically, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. You can read their story here, or see my cliff notes here: 

Shad., Mesh., and Abed. were three young men who loved God. 

The One True God. This is important to note because their love for 

Him was their constant motivation in everything they did. 

They were in a foreign land, captured as slaves, 

and there were different gods (lowercase "g") and a prideful King 

who all fought for their affection. Because they, Shad., Mesh., and Abed. 

had said "yes" to worshiping their God (big "G") alone, 

they were easily able to say "no" to worshiping anything else, 

even at the expense of their lives.    

Today Annie asks us to reflect upon our ability to say no, and, understandably, this comes much easier to some than to others. 

Be Brave: 

What's one thing you can say no to today 

that will make space for some better yeses in the future? 

For me, the obvious is saying no to doing anything outside of my house because Monday is my stay-home-and-clean day, and when this is not accomplished on a Monday, it typically takes ALL WEEK to fit it in. This is a strain on time, but also mental space. 

So I am home, prioritizing cleaning, devotionals, and working out. Choosing with intentionality what my yeses and my noes for this day look like. 

Returning to our three young heroes above:

 "They were brave, writes Annie. They said no. And when the voices of fear must have been whispering to them, they didn't listen. They stood there in their no and believed that God is still God. 

She continues, "A lot of courageous noes make for some beautifully brave yeses. And I'm not sure you are going to get it right every time- saying the right yeses and the right noes. I don't get it right all the time. But courage doesn't equal right; courage equals stepping out and trying." (all emphs. mine)

I love the feeling of empowerment this affords us. No. What a strong word. 

Say the thing that courage asks you to say, even if it's the word no.    

Advent Day 17: More. Birds. 

So. Many. Birds.