I don’t like to say or hear “no.” I do what I can to respond to my children with “yes” answers about playing things they like, connecting with people, and eating fun foods. I do this in part because I used to be a “No” mom. My default was to say “no” to whatever they asked right away. My husband noticed it and helped me see that a gut reaction of “no” wasn’t me being considerate or thoughtful about our children’s requests and desires.

God doesn’t often tell me “No” these days. There are many good things I’m capable of doing and I tend to want to do them all. But occasionally, God will say “no” about me doing something. I am so thankful for those No’s.

Saying “Yes” to one thing means saying “No” to lots of other things.
My husband says that whatever or whoever I say “Yes” to means I’m saying “no” to a whole bunch of other things or people. Yes’s are powerful, but so are No’s.

One of my No’s was saying “No” to being a part of Parent Teacher Community Organization (PTCO) meetings at my child’s school. I volunteered there for years and now my “No” to PTCO means “Yes” to writing encouragement and training for parents. “No” to PTCO means I get to take mama friends to coffee and encourage them in their parenting. “No” to PTCO means I get to finish washing the laundry before my family gets home so I can spend focused time with them.

Another one of my No’s is exercising in a gym. It’s so good for some people to have that accountability, but the extra 60-90 minutes it would take away from my family or ministry isn’t worth it to me. The extra money it would take away from our family isn’t worth it to me when I can exercise with a cute Australian couple on YouTube doing HIIT training in my living room. Plus, sometimes my children workout with me and it’s so much fun! The benefits from saying “No” to leaving the house to workout open the door for more “Yes” time with my family.

I am thankful for “No’s in my life. How about you?

All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

What are the (N)o’s you’re thankful for that mean yes’s for other things for your family?