It’s rare that I devote an entire blog to talk about just one book but The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst is worthy of it’s own post. It’s that good. I wish I had read it 40 years ago. You see, I’ve long lived with the delusion that I can do it all; take care of my family, serve on boards, volunteer, bring meals to friends, make my own clothes, get my blog posted on time, etc. etc. It will come as a surprise to NO ONE that I was being unrealistic.

But I know I’m not alone. At the core of The Best Yes is this: there are lots of projects, activities, and demands for our time that are good . . . really good . . . but that doesn’t mean they’re great for us. For instance, recently my girlfriends invited me to join them for Bible study on Tuesday mornings. These are some of my dearest friends, I love studying the Bible and I wanted to have the opportunity to consistently spend time with them. It looked like a win/win situation. But I had absolutely no peace about going. I’d practically hyperventilate whenever I started thinking about it. And generally, when I start hyperventilating it is in fact the Holy Spirit holding a stop sign up right in front of my face. So, I said no to the Bible study. And I can’t say for sure that what happened next was part of God’s plan, but when the first Tuesday of the study came I was too sick to even consider going. Perhaps God knows I’m not always so good at following through on my Best Yes decisions!

I think more than anything this book has given me permission not to be so frantic all the time. I’ve learned to listen to the Holy Spirit more and to myself less. I still make a to-do list every day but I’m more flexible with it. Today for instance I had a long list of things to do (I mean really, Thanksgiving is just three days away) but when I woke up I just knew that my Best Yes today would be to spend some time visiting with my 91-year-old neighbor. Life just seems less rushed when I step inside her door. And trust me, she’s not a shut-in. She just knows the value of time spent with friends and we always have a lively discussion when we’re together.

In order for me to spend time with my neighbor other things had to be eliminated but in the scheme of life my choice to listen to the Holy Spirit and spend time with my neighbor is far more important.

Sometimes we simply have to say no to good things so that we can say yes to the best things.

I could give you multiple examples of good things I’ve said no to in the past few weeks because I’ve sensed that God has something better for me if I will simply allow Him to lead. Overall, it’s a matter of leaving enough “space” in my schedule to allow God time to interrupt my plans . . . because His are ALWAYS better!

“Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:6

I’ve linked up with Holley Gerth today. She’s an amazing encourager so please check out her blog by clicking on the picture below.