NO! That Dirty Word

A couple of months after our granddaughter, Holly, was born my wife and I traveled to northern Kentucky to do a little baby sitting. This was the first time we had seen her since her birth, and it was always a treat to see her big brother, Brady. My daughter and her husband were excited to finally be able to get away for some alone time together. Sasha and Pa would be able to have the grandkids all to themselves.

One afternoon  I took Brady down stairs to watch some TV. I think we were watching a World War II documentary, one of Brady’s favorites. Brady soon got distracted and decided that it would be fun to get upon the glass top coffee table and jump up and down. I quickly grabbed him, lifted him high in the air and placed him gently on the couch. Apparently, this registered in Brady’s mind as a funny little game. He got down off the couch and back up onto the coffee table he went. This time I picked him up and said, “No, Brady. You can’t do that.”

For some reason this two year old didn’t believe that Pa really meant no. Again Brady climbed back onto the coffee table and started jumping. Using a little more forceful approach I took Brady off the table, looked him straight in the eye and said, “NO! Brady, Pa said NO! Brady’s smile was replaced quickly by a very puzzled look. I put him down and he turned and ran up the steps. I could hear him as he climbed the stairs, “Pa said no, Pa said no.” He ran up to his grandmother, who was rocking Holly, looked at her and distressfully said to her, “Pa said no!” Children learn early in life that they don’t like the word no, especially when it comes from someone named Pa who is like a big playmate and is a lot of fun.

I don’t guess we ever reach an age when we like to hear the word no. No dashes our hopes. No negates our questionable desires. No destroys our plans. However, as we mature we learn that the answer no very often keeps us from making some terrible mistakes and saves us from experiencing unnecessary pain. If we listen we will find that God often says no to us. When God says no we need to listen to him.

There have been times in my life that God told me no, and I went ahead and did the deed anyway. I jumped up and down on that glass coffee table thinking I was having the time of my life. Finally, I went crashing through receiving painful gashes which pierced my soul. The result of disobeying God when he says no is pain and heartache. Maybe you have refused to listen to God when he said no to you. The best thing to do when God says no is what my grandson did. Just turn, walk away and say, “God said no, God said no!” And you might add, “Thank you God for guiding me away from those things that harm me and cause me pain.”