Could you go through an entire day of saying “yes” to God?

My daughter challenged me recently to go for a week without placing an Amazon order. I succeeded. She didn’t say anything about shopping and adding things to my cart for when the week was over. Haha!

A couple of summers ago, I attended a writer/speaker conference. I had never done anything like this. Only a few months before had I come to terms with calling myself an actual writer and not feeling like an imposter.

For several months before, God and I did some work and hashed some things out. I was able to admit that writing was something I’ve always been called to do and now that I will have more time (empty nest years are not so bad!), I could work on developing something I loved into a skill.

I took my anxious and introverted self to North Carolina. I flung myself out of my comfort zone. This was going to be much harder than refraining from Amazon purchases for a week.

As I packed my bags and prepared my heart for the conference, God loudly whispered to my nervous insecurities, (because He knew I needed both gentleness and volume), “Andrea, just say yes.”

Me: But…

God: Trust me. It will be okay. Just say yes.

Me: I will trust you, Lord, but you know how wounded and tender my heart is right now.

God: Yes, I know. I know it all. You will be okay. Just say yes.

 

Have you ever seen the movie with Jim Carrey, Yes Man? Realizing the gravity of his dead-end life, he agreed to say yes, without question, to every opportunity that presented itself. It didn’t always work out so well for him but he did have some amazing adventures and, in the end, found value in saying yes to life.

In contrast to the theatrical life of Jim Carrey in the movie, I felt cautiously secure as I agreed to God’s commission and what He had for me at this Christian conference. There were moments when I profoundly wanted to say no, but God totally proved His faithfulness to me with each affirmative nod of my heart. From the making of new friends to being anointed with oil and prayed over, He showed me wonders I could not have imagined.

“… today’s ‘first lesson’ was in these little mountain paths.  I followed mine only a few yards further this morning & such an outburst of beauty came. You can never tell to what untold glories any little humble path may lead, if you only follow far enough.” ~Lilias Trotter, Diary, 13 August 1899

I survived the conference. Everything about the weekend challenged my will and my faith but the rewards were bountiful. I discovered incomparable value in saying yes to God.

Say “yes” to God and let Him show you wonders you could not have imagined. (click to tweet)

Could you make it through a day of saying yes to God? A day of being fully conscious of His will for your life. A day where every choice you are faced with is met with an earnest prayer for His leading.

Lord, help me to get out of the way so you can have your way. I want to follow Your path. What is your “yes” for me today?

Let’s give it a go and see where the path may lead, shall we?

Photo was taken at Chartwell, Winston Churchill’s home, in England.

For further reading:

The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst
Mountain Lesson, Miriam Rockness