The Power of One “Yes”

Be honest – how easy is it for you to say “no?” I know some people find saying “no” enjoyable, but for most of us it’s uncomfortable and challenging.

As such, we often hear about the importance of saying no. To an extent, this is valuable. We all have limited time and resources, and no one person can do everything they want to do in life. We all must make choices about what our priorities should be, knowing that it’s physically impossible to say “yes” to everything.

At the same time, I often wonder if we should be more motivated to say “yes.” I think it’s easy for the narrative of not being able to do everything to become an excuse for not saying “yes” if it’s not completely convenient or individually advantageous. Think about it – what if you were willing to say “yes” to more opportunities even when it wasn’t easy, or when the personal reward wasn’t entirely clear or enticing?

Recently, I met a missionary who felt compelled to say “yes” to opportunities he could sense were from God. He felt that God would open doors through his willingness to say yes, and that’s exactly what happened. Over time, he went from being a janitor to owning his own construction business. Later, he followed a calling to become a pastor, which led to an opportunity to serve in the mission field overseas. None of this would have been possible if he hadn’t learned to say yes to the opportunities God was placing in front of him.

Ironically, this all began while he was scrubbing toilets. My friend asked where he could serve at church, and they needed someone willing to clean the bathrooms. Most people would have said no to a job that wasn’t exactly the most desirable or glamorous. However, he chose to trust God with what little God placed before him, and soon, the opportunity became far greater.

As Jesus reminds us in Luke 16:10 (NLT), ”If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.“ Instead of aching for greater opportunity or responsibility, we’re called to embrace what we can today, knowing that everything we do is strengthening and preparing us for the future that God already has in store for us.

So, what could you say “yes” to? It’s possible that this question doesn’t require much thinking because there was already something that came to mind as you were reading the article. Perhaps there’s a calling or an opportunity that’s been gnawing at you. You’ve been resisting because something about the idea is uncertain, or because you’re wary of the impact it could have on your current routine. What if you stepped out in faith and said yes anyway, and by doing so, you allowed God to work in your life and the lives of those around you? How could this impact the story that you look back and tell in five or ten years – or even further down the road?