When was the last time you’ve mastered your courage, looked someone, whose relationship you deeply covet and value, in the eye and said this two letter word “NO”.
Friends, we live in a world where everyone seems to be saying “YES” and “SURE” to every rotten, bad idea, suggestion, and temptation. We say “YES” when we should say “NO”, and say it too early, and far too often.
In my many years of medical practice, I’ve treated thousands of patients who routinely nodded their heads in the affirmative and said “YES” to the temptations of smoking, vaping, drugs, sexual conquests and marital affairs and ended up with a life time of diseases, emotional suffering and regrets. I still recall one of my young patients who looked friendly and down to earth. He was in a relationship with a woman who pushed him into saying “YES” to tempting sexual conquests that he eventually regretted and was quite burdened by them. It was sad to see how easily he, and others whom I’ve seen in my years of practice were pressured into saying “YES” to some risky ideas and directions that he and the others foolishly followed and later regretted. Hopefully, they will all find their way out of their mess with true repentance and getting hold of God’s forgiveness.
He and many others have become people-pleasers who rarely say “NO” because of the fear of losing jobs, promotions, relationships, belonging and acceptance. And like them, all of us have fallen into the trap of not saying “NO” enough times in our daily life experiences. Instead, we often choose to say “YES” when the answer should have been “NO” or “NO WAY”, and we eventually end up paying physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually for our unwise choices.
So friends, I leave you with these wise words from the book of Proverbs:
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
Do not turn to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.
Proverbs 4:26-27 (NIV)
And before I forget, here is what I told, and continue to tell some of my patients who seem to be chronic “YES” men and women:
“It’s OK to say NO…NO…NO”
And if you can’t say “NO” upfront to a fishy and questionable enticement, then for goodness’ sake at least say “May be. Let me think about it. I can’t give you an answer right now”, and run away before you say “YES”.
Friends, you and I will still live and even prosper after we say “NO”