Random Thoughts

Here's a nice read that made me think twice of saying "YES" to friends, families and co-workers.

Read on...

Learn To Say No Sometimes


“Can you bring a tiny package to my family in Manila?”

“No problem!” I said to the petite Filipina in front of me.

This happened many years ago in a preaching trip in Europe when I still didn’t know about the Balikbayan* Phrase Dictionary. In it, the term “tiny package” means “any object in the universe whose any size is slightly smaller than planet earth”.

When I arrived at the airport, her tiny package was waiting for me: the suitcase was bigger than my bag.

“Sorry Bo,” she said sheepishly, stepping out of her suitcase’s shadow, “I thought it was tiny. But it kept growing bigger and bigger and bigger…”

“Wow. It’s miraculous.”

She then handed me an envelope “just in case you have excess baggage” and left me as quickly as a woman running away from a rapist. I opened it and discovered ten dollars in it. I hollered back at her, “Will this multiply miraculously too?”

When I checked-in her suitcase, true enough, the ticketing guy told me I needed to pay excess baggage. Holding the ten dollars with trembling fingers, I asked how much it would cost. When he showed the astronomical figure to me, I had a paranormal experience right there and then: I felt my soul leave my body for a few seconds. (This happened when I was still a poor missionary.)

When I came about, I inquired as calmly as I could, “Does this price also include the purchase of the plane? Or do I get the plane and own all the pilots and stewardesses as well?”

That experience taught me a very important lesson in life: Learn to say no sometimes.

Like one day, I received ten invitations to preach. These invitations come daily through email and snail mail and phone calls.

As much as this pains me, I say no to 99% of these invitations.

Oh how I love to preach! Everyday, if possible. But if I say yes to all of these invitations, I won’t be able to see my wife and kids anymore. Or I won’t be able to preach in my little spiritual family, Light of Jesus, or write my books, or support my various ministries for the poor…

I learned a very important principle: Saying “no” is really saying a bigger “yes” to what God wants me to do.

Hey, there’re a million things you can do.

But what does God want for your life? If you don’t learn to say “no” to all the myriad of options life offers you, you won’t be able to say “yes” to His specific mission for your life.

Question: Do you have excess baggage in your life?

Learn to say no to excess baggage.

Your yes depends on it.

I love the part that says : Saying “no” is really saying a bigger “yes” to what God wants me to do.