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| Photo courtesy of blogs.psychcentral.com |
I believe, however, that one of the most important things we must understand in this short life is the importance of saying NO to the siren call of all those clamoring invitations in our lives. This becomes especially difficult when those things involve people we love or are inherently good. Let me start with a secular illustration and then go to God's Word to discuss this matter more fully.
Steve Jobs, of Apple Inc. fame, took on the role of CEO in the late 1990s and is credited to turning the corporation around, making it one of the largest tech giants in the world. How did he accomplish that? Well, the biggest thing he did was to take the product line of the company from 350 and shrink it down to 10. That's right, 10 products! And he and his team focused on only a few machines until they were meticulously perfected (and the iPhone and other amazing Mac products were born!).
In an interview regarding Apple's amazing success, Jobs stated: "People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying 'no' to 1,000 things."
Well, is this reasoning biblical? I think it is, but I will let you be the judge. Let's look at the life of Jesus, who chose to do only His Father's will, and sought only to please God and not man. We see Him in John 11 when He was told by Mary and Martha that His dear friend (their brother) Lazarus was very sick.
"Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus[a] was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.'" John 11:1-7
In this story, we see that Jesus did the exact opposite of what his friends, and society at large, expected Him to do! When told that His dear friend was ill, Jesus did NOT immediately go to heal him, but instead stayed where He was for two more days! You see, His sole job on Earth was to do what God told Him to do, not to do what He might have wanted to do (for we see him weep over his friend's death in v. 35), or what others expected Him to do. Jesus stated His mission clearly in John 6:38: "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me." No, Jesus does not rush to his friend's side. Instead, Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus four days after he died, and miraculously raised him from the dead, to God's glory! (John 11:38-44)
Let me leave you with one more point today, this time from Christian author Randy Alcorn, who was recently a guest on Ann Voskamp's blog, A Holy Experience.
Randy states, "We shouldn’t say yes to something just because it’s a good thing or even a great thing.
When saying no to good things, I always remind myself what Nanci [his wife] and I have learned over many years: I must say no to people concerning the vast majority of good things they invite me to, in order to be available to say yes to God concerning that small number of things He has truly called me to. Sometimes we tend to say yes to too many of the good things, leaving us exhausted and unable to bring our best to those relatively few God-things." He goes on to say, "As with people, so it is with causes. Rather than a large number of causes that we have tiny little investments in, better to have a much smaller number that you’re wholeheartedly engaged in, giving your very best. But NEVER say yes without asking whether this is one of those exceptional things God really wants you to do. Tell Him that unless He smacks you in the side of the head and makes it clear, you will assume He DOESN’T want you to do it. This is planned neglect. We need to neglect doing the things that countless people want us to do, so that we will be available to do what God wants. And sometimes He speaks in a still small voice, while people speak in a big LOUD voice. We have to make sure we’re listening. To do that, we need to put our ear to His Word and pray and seek His face."
In recent years, I too, have had to say NO to a great many GOOD things. Career opportunities. Leadership and/or ministry opportunities. Reunions. Girls' nights out. Me time. But with every NO I utter, I am also saying YES to those things that really matter in this season of my life. My spouse. My children. My faith. My sanity. Ministry opportunities that God has called me to do and those causes He has pressed upon my heart to support. While society tells me that I can "have it all" and "do it all," I choose to seek God's truth and His will for my life.
How about you, dear friend? What things do you need to wholeheartedly and unabashedly say NO to this week (without guilt!)...in order to be available to say YES to the things God has planned for you to do? It is a convicting but necessary question we must ALL ask ourselves! But I think we will find that the peace and joy that awaits us when we live to do God's work, using the strength HE provides, will be well worth the effort!
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