Saying No

Tonight as I was tucking Olivia into bed I was telling her how much I loved her and she responded by saying how sometimes I'm mean to her. I asked her why did she think I was mean to her and she said because I say no to her a lot. I asked her how I could not be so mean and she replied that if I said yes to everything, then I would be a good mom. I laughed and explained how sometimes it's because I say no that I am a good mom and even if she doesn't like it, I will still need to say no sometimes.

Whoa.

Then it hit me how this is exactly how God feels towards us! So many times we think God is being mean and unfair because of the "no" answers we receive. We think we know what is best for us and maybe what we ask for would be a good thing, however God says no. Just like with my children, my no may not always be a permanent no, but more of a 'not right now" kind of no. They may ask to do something, but the timing is not right. Maybe there are things that need to be done first before I can give them a yes. I would imagine many things in our lives work this same way with God.

Look at this example of what happened to the Israelites because they grew tired of the wait: "Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!  In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland. So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it." Psalm 106:13-15

Remember there is beauty in the no. There is wonder in the waiting. Even when we want to tell God how mean He is for making us wait or saying no to something we really want, we must remember His ways are always higher than ours and His wisdom is far beyond our comprehension. What kind of daddy would He be if He always said yes?