We’ve all heard the line, “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?”

Recently I discovered a new insight. It goes like this: “What part of ‘yes’ don’t you understand?”

This summer I learned that my life changed dramatically when I said “yes” more often than when I said “no.”

On our annual vacation this year, just for fun I decided to say “yes” to each and every suggestion made by my wife and my family. It was an amazing experience.

“Let’s go to Lake Havasu City, Arizona for a week.”

“Yes,” I said.

“Let’s go to Flagstaff, Arizona for a week.”

“Yes,” I said.

“Let’s rent a cabin in a forest for a few days.”

“Yes,” I said.

I said, “Yes” to it all, even though I knew that summer temperatures in Lake Havasu City easily exceed 120 degrees. I said, “Yes” to Flagstaff, even though I’d been there many times before. I said, “Yes” to renting a cabin, even though I knew that vacationers already rented the less expensive cabins. I said, “Yes” to every idea and any notion — and I experienced one of the greatest vacations of my lifetime.

How might this great experience happen?

As a child, I often heard my parents say, “No” to just about any idea I entertained, like, “Can I stay up until 1 a.m. to watch a late-night movie?” “No.” In high school, college, and graduate school, I can’t tell you how many times I heard the word “No.” I heard, “That’s a silly idea.” My teachers said, “You can’t propose that project. No one’s ever tried it before.” After graduate school exams, I heard, “I’m sorry, but we cannot let you take your comprehensive exams yet, because you’re not ready.” I lived a life filled with “No.”

This year, I decided to change all that, starting with me. I went here and there and everywhere, not having a clue about what might happen, because I said, “Yes.” And it was enchanting. I experienced nothing but spontaneity.

And now, I’m saying “Yes” more often not only to my family, but also, I’m saying “Yes” to my Creator.

I hear, “I want you to teach a class on the Old Testament Prophets.”

In the past, I’d scratch my head and say, “Well, maybe.”

I hear, “I want you to help create more spontaneous worship services this year.”

Once again, I might have responded, “Well, maybe.”

I hear, “I want you to forgive everyone who’s caused you grief.”

A year ago I’d answer, “Well, maybe.”

But this year, I’ve decided to say, “Yes” to every one of those requests from my Creator; and I can’t tell you how much I anticipate changes in my life. If this year can be half the fun I experienced on vacation, I can hardly wait to see what happens.

For some of us, we experienced religion as one “No” after another. For example, “Thou shall not …” (Exodus 20 and the Ten Commandments). What happens and how might we change after hearing “Thou shall love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 29: 34-40) And we say, “Yes.”

What might happen if we hear, “I want you to pull out your Dutch oven and feed this poor person,” and we say, “Yes.”?

How might the world change if we hear, “I want you to help this ill person recover,” and we say, “Yes.”?

The part of “Yes” that we don’t understand sometimes is that “Yes” opens new worlds and spontaneous experiences in ways that we could not imagine. Saying “Yes” to the universe can prompt new understandings about who we are and who we can become.

Are you interested in something new happening in your life?

Just say, “Yes.”



Pastor Tom recently came from Christ United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City, Utah to Cortez, where he pastors First United Methodist Church. He’s a graduate of Eden Theological Seminary and Johns Hopkins University.