Good Monday morning dear friends, if you've been following along with our Monday morning Book Club I have had the pleasure of writing this weeks chapter summaries. I don't know about you but this book has been challenging my approach to the way I see an opportunity + how I respond to it. Happy reading + click over on my Instagram profile to the right ---> to get involved with our discussion.
Chapter 14: A Best Yes is Seen By Those Who Choose to See.
Be present and pay attention. There are Best Yes' being whispered, maybe yelled, in our minds and our ears every day. We have to choose to be tuned in to hear them. It is a matter of quieting your mind and tuning in to the Holy Spirit on a daily, moment by moment basis. I like to think of the impressions of the Holy Spirit as radio waves. They are around you RIGHT NOW, playing and filling the room. You can only hear them if you have a tuner that is plugged in, turned on and tuned in. I must make it a point DAILY to be tuned in to hear what He is already saying. "We want big directional signs from God.God just wants us to pay attention."
We often hear or think that Christians don't say no. This cannot be further from the truth. We must give ourselves permission to say no. A no isn't a rejection. A no is a BEST YES to something else. When you feel the difficulty of a no, picture the thing you can say your Best Yes to if you say no. Lisa, the author, asked on her social media account, "What decision are you having a hard time making right now?" The responses she got surprised her. The key is to focus on what is right in front of you, what you do know and the next step. Be in the moment. We often say yes when we shouldn't because we are concerned with what people will think of us which leads to a frantic, absent person. The author writes, "Great descriptions are birthed from great decisions." When we say no at the right time, give our Best Yes and live in the moment, we become our best selves.
Chapter 15: The Thrill of an Unrushed Yes.
Leave space in your life. Slow down. Relationships are about moments and those moments don't happen in a rush. Marriage, family and friends who are like family take time and moments. We live in a multitasking world. "Checking your email in the middle of creative work temporarily knocks your IQ down 10 points...We are not wired for multitasking." Some relationships may drain you, but the right ones spur you to greatness or even your destiny so be wise who you give your time to.
"Conversational threads are what make up the fabric of relationships. We must take time - make time - to talk. Marriage is called "tying the knot". Every relationship has this in some aspect or another. It's not something just done at the altar, it's something we choose to do over and over again. An unrushed yes leads to us to these decisions and moments. The only way you are going to find an unrushed yes is to MAKE time and LEAVE SPACE.
Chapter 16: The Panic That Keeps You From Your Best Yes.
Panic NEVER SAVED ANYONE. Panic only leads to loss. Panic gives the sensation of drowning. Its not easy to begin to be a Best Yes person. Saying no.or yes, takes courage. Any time we are asked to be courageous our insecurities rare their ugly heads. Even if we think we are not insecure, we can find ourselves comparing or disqualifying our way out. "It works for them, not me." When we are drowning in our insecurities we often think or are told, "Suck it up. Get over it. Insecurity is just pride turned inward." Lisa writes, "That's like telling a person drowning to just swim harder." The same way the Holy Spirit's voice is like radio waves, our insecurities about ourselves are a song played by the enemy of our souls. Sometimes he just sings the first few lines and, like that hit on the radio, we pick up the rest of the song.
When we realize WHO and who's we are, our insecurities fade. Our security and significance comes from God alone. Our beliefs about ourselves and God are deeper than a thought we can easily articulate, they are a mindset that shapes our behavior and ultimately the environment around us. Our identity, found in Christ ALONE, determines our beliefs or mindset, which determines our thoughts, which determines our actions and emotions, which determines the environment we live in. When I CHOOSE to READ, SPEAK and HEAR the TRUTH of who He says I am, I turn off the radio station of the enemy and tune in to His Spirit. My spirit agrees with His Spirit and I sing His song of love and truth over my life. Lisa writes, "Just as our bodies need oxygen, our souls need truth flowing steadily in and out."
The song or voice you agree with gets the power and is amplified over your life. Who's song are you singing, the enemy's or The Holy Spirit's? What lies are you believing and how are they affecting your thought life, actions and environment? What TRUTH counteracts those lies and how can you choose to agree with that TRUTH and change the "song" that you are singing?
Bex
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