We live in a society where being told “No!” is a bad word. It has gotten so out of hand that when someone is told “No!”, they get mad and start throwing out accusations. If that does not work, then they start trying to intimidate. If that does not work, they think of something else all to get that “Yes!”. What has changed that caused this?
I remember things being on the TV or in advertisements that we are never to accept “No!” as the final answer. Then we have our parents who at one time would use that word, but now they try to treat kids as though they are mini-adults capable of thinking on the same level as an adult and use other alternative means rather than saying “No!”. Next comes our school systems starting in Kindergarten and going all they way through the 12th grade, so many kids are never told “No!”. In fact, many of our kids today are simply told “That is not a good choice!”. If we ever happen to say “No!”, we feel that we own an explanation because we have been taught to reject no one; however, we can say “No!” without feeling guilty. We who are the adults/parents of this younger generation have royally screwed up.
There are many good reasons to tell a person “No!”
- It could be due to timing
- It could be because you do not want to do it
- It could be that you are busy
- It could be that you do not have the necessary skills
- It could be that it is too dangerous
- It could be that you have too much on your plate at the moment
- It could be ____________ (fill in the blank)
This is not saying that you have to be mean or a jerk when you say “No!”. Remember this:
Proverbs 15:1 New International Version (NIV)
15 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Thankfully, there are times when we pray to God and the “Answer is No!”. God’s reasons for saying “No!” is not the same as ours. Ours revolves around the flesh and the world. God typically says “No!” when it is going to cause us Spiritual damage. Remember, God is not here to make us happy, but rather we are here to bring glory to God.
If something we ask for will cause us to sin and lead us away from God or it is not what God wants for us because there something greater in store for us or it would cause us harm that we do not yet see or because it does not align with God but rather aligns with our flesh/ the world or God wants to test our persistence or the timing is not right. So instead of whining about it when God says “No!” and getting all pissed off at him, rather be thankful. Be thankful that God loves you enough to protect you from yourself. However, even though God said “No!”, He will not stop you from pursuing that which you want.
While I do not like the answer “No!”, I am still thankful that God knows how to use this word. I would rather Him say “No!” to me and make me change than He say “Yes!” and I spend eternity in Hell. So ask yourself if being told “No!” is such a bad thing after all?