No

Today's drink: two cups (yes, two) of chock full o nuts coffee, each with whipped cream. (Don't judge. It's Monday.)

Which word is harder to hear?
"Yes."
"No."

For me, it is always no.

I think it may be safe to say that we all struggle with the "no's" that we get in life.
Remember being a kid, wanting that candy in the grocery check-out line, and your mom said no?
Remember being a teenager, asking for $20, and your dad said no?
Remember being in college, begging extra time to make up a paper because you didn't turn it in when due, and your prof said no?
Remember being a grown up, wanting to move forward, and God said no?

Yeah..... that last one is a doozy.

Fun thoughts while drinking coffee this morning.

What if we don't WANT to follow through on a "No" from God?
Well, we don't have to choose to stop.
Eve didn't.
Adam didn't.
Worked out *great* for them, eh?

Consider it like this:
Is it easier for a horse to stop, or to start, when it WANTS to run?
Well, starting is always easier than stopping, I'd think....
Run, run, run, feel the wind, enjoy the speed.
STOP!
Who's got time for that?
If an animal doesn't *want* to stop, then it must choose to obey direction in order to actually cease running.

We mean a lot more to God (and we are generally a lot smarter) than animals.

Obeying a 'no' has a lot to do with self-control.
Choosing to make our desires come to a halt, and put what we might think is best on hold, for the sake of obeying God...it's hard, but worth it. So that He can work.
So that He can go forward with His plans (His best, by the way) for our lives.

Hearing "yes", moving ahead, that takes guts, certainly!
You have to bite the bullet and not give into fear with something new.

But hearing No and choosing to obey it....
That takes a lot more courage, I think.