Learning to Say Yes!
"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me;
yet not my will, but Yours be done."
Luke 22:42 (NASB)
Several years ago, my daughter called me one morning and announced that we had turned a corner with our 16-month-old granddaughter Julia. After weeks of saying, "No," Julia finally learned to say, "Yes!"
Meredith excitedly said, "Mama! It's such a relief and so refreshing to finally hear her say, 'Yes!'"
When pressed to recall when exactly Julia said "Yes," Meredith laughed and remembered the questions:
"Julia, do you want to go to the park and play?"
"Yes!"
"Julia, do you want to go to McDonald's and get French fries?"
"Yes!"
Julia, do you want more milk?"
"Yes!"
Meredith finished our conversation with the observation that Julia had only responded "No!" one time all day. And even at that, Julia's "No" wasn't a defiant angry "No!" Rather it was a slow, soft, Southern, drawn out, "Noooooooo!"
I laughed as I hung up the phone. What 1-year old doesn't want to go to the park and play; eat French fries at McDonald's; and drink more milk? And I wondered what Julia's response would have been if her Mama had instead asked: "Do you want to take a nap? Do you want to take a bath? Do you want broccoli for dinner?"
Throughout the afternoon I continued smiling as I reflected on how much pleasure Julia brought her Mama when she learned to say "Yes!" And then it hit me. How much pleasure do I bring God my Father when I choose to say "Yes” to whatever God asks of me?
As we begin preparing our hearts for this Easter season and remembering Jesus' agonizing death on the cross and victorious resurrection, we also need to remember his prayerful struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane. Three times Jesus prayed that, if possible, the cup of God's wrath and judgment would be removed from Him. Each time Jesus concluded his prayer with "Your will be done." Ultimately, Jesus said "Yes" to the Father's plan for our salvation.
Tim Keller, writing in his excellent book King’s Cross says, "It would still be possible, at the eleventh hour, for Jesus to abort his mission and leave us to perish. But he doesn't consider that as an option. He's begging the Father to carry out the mission some other way, but he doesn't ask him to abandon it altogether. Why? Because as horrible as the cup is, he knows that his immediate desire (to be spared) must bow before his ultimate one (to spare us)...Jesus doesn't deny his emotions, and he doesn't avoid the suffering. He loves into the suffering. In the midst of his suffering, he obeys for the love of the Father- and for the love of us." (p. 181)
Jesus answered God's call to die on the cross with a resounding "Yes!" and now calls us to do the same. What has God called you to do today that needs your “Yes, Lord?” Perhaps it’s something as simple as writing an encouraging note, making a phone call, or taking someone a meal. It may mean having a difficult conversation, asking for someone’s forgiveness, and restoring a relationship. Or it may mean letting go of destructive attitudes such as bitterness, anger, selfishness, and resentment.
Praise God that none of us will ever suffer like Christ suffered in the Garden or on the cross, but all of us who are in Christ have been given the chance to die to ourselves daily. Jesus himself told us,"Take up your cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23)
Let’s learn to say, “Yes, Lord!” and “not my will but Yours be done.”
(Luke 22:42)