SAYING YES TO GOD

      I find it easier to say “Yes” to God when things are going well and life is smooth. However, when God asks me to move out of my comfort zone and do something that is different or inconvenient, the “Yes” may not come as readily as before. God may direct me toward a new vision for my personal faith walk, or a new ministry in the church or community. Or, an opportunity to say “Yes” may arise in my daily routine. It may be at that point the “Yeses” begin to slow down.

      Yet, it is precisely during these times that our answers to God’s call should be a resounding “Yes.” After going through the discernment process and recognizing God’s voice, we should be willing to say “Yes,” even to the seemingly impossible vision placed before us.

      We have many Biblical examples of “yes” answers to God’s call to action; Noah to build the ark, Moses to lead his people, Esther to save her people, David to provide the Messianic linage, and many more. But there is one person, besides Jesus, who stands out in my mind as the ultimate “Yes” person. That person is Mary, the mother of Jesus.

      Donna Otto is quoted in Joanna Weaver’s book, “Having a Mary Spirit,” as she discusses Mary’s affirmation of her role as Jesus’ mother. “As far as I can tell, once Mary had said yes to the angel, she kept on saying yes to whatever God was doing in her life and her home. She said, ‘Yes, I’ll go to Bethlehem with my husband even though I am very pregnant.’ She said, ‘Yes, I’ll settle for a stable.’ And ‘Yes, I’ll agree to let all those grungy shepherds see my newborn.’ Much later, she said, ‘Yes, I’ll let my Son leave home to become an itinerant preacher.’ And ‘Yes, I’ll be with Him no matter what –even at the foot of a cross.’”

      “The life of Mary shows that great things, important things, always begin with someone saying yes to God, and then moving along one yes at a time.”  

       Maybe we tend to think that the call of God on our lives and saying “Yes” involves just the big events. Maybe we are thinking of Isaiah and the awesome “Here am I, send me” response. However, I believe that it is our “Yeses” to the small ordinary things that can also make a big difference in our relationship to God, our spiritual growth, and the building of his kingdom.

      Weaver suggests that these important little “Yeses” sometimes go unnoticed.

·        Saying yes to inconvenience so someone else might be blessed

·        Saying yes to a backseat role though we are qualified to drive

·        Saying yes to doing the unseen, the unnoticed, and the underappreciated

·        Saying yes to overlooking faults and inconsiderate slights

·        Saying yes to patient listening though there is much to do and more to say

·        Saying yes to chores others should rightfully do

·        Saying yes when we’d rather say no.

      In Luke 16:10 we find these words,“ Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.”

Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, September 22, 2013