I Try Not To Say "No"

I love one-liners, especially well-timed ones. For some people they just fall from the sky; for others they don't come quite so easily. And you know the really good ones because they're followed by someone thinking or saying, "Wish I'd said that!"

One of the best one-liners I've ever heard came in a casual conversation earlier today. Not a typical one-liner but priceless nevertheless. Dale, one of my best friends, told me about something he'd been asked to do. Not knowing whether he really wanted to accept the responsibility, he prayed about it and concluded that he couldn't really tell if God was leading him that direction or not. However, he decided to answer the call anyway and agree to a two-year stint. Why? His explanation was simply, "I try not to say 'no'." Priceless!

I know a lot of people who live by a different philosophy, one more like "I try not to say "yes." And why? Saying "yes" opens you up to being available, to giving up time, to living beyond your own walls. And if word gets out that you tend to say "yes," why people might call on you and prevent you from getting to do what you want to do.

O, and then there are the people who say "yes" but don't follow through. They can't say "no" with their lips, but they can't say "yes" and really mean it. So they say "yes" but they really mean "no." How can you know they really mean "no?" Simple--they never follow through.

So the next time someone asks something of me or if I see someone needing something, I hope I'll try not to say "no." I believe that's the way Jesus would do it and I want to be like him more than I want to breathe. Thanks for the lesson Dale.

--Terrell