Saying Yes and Saying No

Yesterday, I reflected on the story of Adam and Eve. The truth is, there are ever going to be temptations – not only to do what we know we shouldn’t do, but also to take more than we need, or to try to have it all.

We don’t like limits, do we? In our culture, we’re often told you can have it all! You can do it all! You can be it all!

But is that true?

Even on a very surface level, we know it’s not. I think about my daughter Cori who plays the guitar. She’s away at college now, but I remember her deciding she wanted to learn how to play. If you ask her today to play something – she can play almost anything. She went to All-State three times for classical guitar in High School and now plays bluegrass. And it almost seems not fair – she makes it look so easy. She has so much fun with it. But for her to get there, for her learn, she had to say “no” to 100 other things. It took hours and hours and hours of practice. But she said I’m saying yes to this intentionally.

Isn’t that usually how it works? Doesn’t saying yes to one thing require us to say no to others?

I think about how if I want to be non-anxious and have a deeper sense of peace and centeredness, then I can’t fill every spare moment with appointments or meetings. I have to carve out time for prayer, reading, and mediation. If I want a good marriage, then I can’t be out with my friends at the bar every weekend. If I want to keep a legacy of bitterness from infecting my children, then I can’t share everything I know. If I want to be balanced, centered, and know God on a deeper level, then there are going to be things that I have to say no to.

What I’ve come to realize is that the “no” is not an end in itself but no opens up possibilities of growth, depth, and commitment.

Thinking back to the story of Adam Eve – if this is a story not only that happened – but that happens, it raises the questions: How do I recognize what the temptation is for me, today? In this world of abundance, what are the limits that are life-giving? What do I invite into my life, and what do I refuse? What do I say yes to? And to what do I say no?

Those are not always easy questions to answer. But many have found that a little reflection and prayer go a long way.

Let us pray: God of Grace, help us to be the kind of people who live intentional, reflective lives – so that we might know what is the next right step for us to take. May we ever recognize the limits of what is good and healthy and life-giving. May we seek your guidance and follow your lead. In Christ’s name. Amen.