You Will Be Gifted For Your ‘Yes’

Saying ‘yes’ is a vital part of our relationship with God; it is our freedom to say ‘no’. So many times in my life, I look back on now and see clearly that I said ‘no’ (even if I didn’t understand it as saying ‘no’ to God at the time). Thank God, I can recall some times when I said ‘yes’ too. Saying ‘yes’ to God enables us to be a living presence of love, joy and mercy in this world. Our ‘yes’ always draws us to love and value ourselves, others and the world around us.
In Christian history and tradition, there are numerous people who said ‘yes’: Mary, Jeremiah, Moses and Peter, for example. Their yesses mattered. They may not have known exactly what they were saying ‘yes’ to, but they had the wisdom to know that God was asking and that they should say ‘yes’.
If you’re faced with a difficult yes, remember you’re in good company with those above. Know this too: those who say ‘yes’ are gifted for that yes (so we see Peter, the uneducated fisherman, become a learned scholar and leader of a new movement – a saint). You too will be gifted for your yes. 

Jim Deeds & Brendan McManus SJ, Finding God in the Mess