Who is on Your Support Team?

There is no meaningful ‘Yes’ without the counter-weight of a discerning ‘No’! My granddaughter says no to me putting on her shoes for her; naps; standing still. These ‘Nos’ make her ‘Yeses’ richer, more meaningful. Norah also says ‘Yes’ - a lot! She says ‘Yes’ to playing and running and doing her booty dance. She says yes to cookies and butterfly hunts and jumping on beds or sofas and games of chase.

The adults in her life wrestle with how to respond to her choices. This truly is sacred work. There is some pressure in this responding AND it is a privilege. I think all of the adults in her life try to do so within the framework the CENTRAL ISSUE. Sounds easy? It’s not!

Do we encourage Norah’s awesome gymnastic skills by letting her jump on the sofa? I do not. But I am awfully glad that her other grandma gave her an awesome mini-trampoline to encourage her jumping. You have not lived until you watch her jump in that thing!

It is not accurate to promise that all our dreams come true - especially if we work hard. Sometimes our best efforts do not result in a big dream life. But. And this is the really good stuff….. Whether or not our dreams come true, it probably matters more how all the people in our life are supporting and holding us.

Most of us can survive, maybe even ultimately thrive, as we adjust to a broken dream. But it is awfully hard work to come back from a broken heart. Tomorrow, we will talk about one town’s response to a tragedy and how their story might just be the life lesson we need right about now.

In the meantime, look for the helpers in your life. Who has supported you? It’s ok if first you have to make a list of all the times people have not been supportive. But the crucial list is finding the support team you have had, and will have, as you continue walking this road of life.

Finding Your Yes!

My grandson is crystal clear about what he loves. When he came to visit me on vacation, here are a few things he reported loving - with great gusto.

“Meme, aren’t these power lines awesome?”

“Meme, isn’t that deer so cute?”

“Meme, is that the lake? It is so pretty!”

“Meme, look at those stars! They are amazing!”

Meme, I am so happy to see you!”

“Meme, this kitchen is cool!”

“Meme, this beach is fun!”

“Meme, I want Azeranka to win!”

He was full of YESES. He was attuned to what he loved and in it, he found great pleasure.

In Eugene Peterson’s translation of a passage in Corinthians says,

“Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us.”

I often hear prayer in the words of normal conversations, especially in the Yeses.

A Yes is hopeful. A Yes is responsive. A Yes is the way we express agreement among us. A Yes is powerful and promising.

What do you say Yes to? You have a Yes within you, a Yes that is a sure thing in Christ. It is God’s affirmation. In a world that expects Nos - what can you find to lend your Yes to? If you can find your Yes, you find your work. If you find your Yes, you can find your courage and confidence and will to live, even thrive.