Thank You for Saying No

Thank You for Saying No


Lord, day after day I've thanked you
For saying yes.
But when have I genuinely thanked You
For saying no?

Yet I shudder to think
Of the possible smears
The cumulative blots on my life
Had You not been sufficiently wise
To say an unalterable no.

So thank You for saying  no
When my want list for things
Far exceeded my longing for You.
When I asked for a stone
Foolishly certain I asked for bread
Thank you for saying no

To my petulant "Just this time Lord?"
Thank you for saying no
To senseless excuses
Selfish motives
Dangerous diversions.

Thank you for saying no
When the temptation that enticed me
Would have bound me beyond escape.

Thank you for saying no
When I asked You to leave me alone.

Above all
Thank you for saying no
When in anguish I asked
"If I give You all else
May I keep this?"

Lord, my awe increases
When I see the wisdom
Of your divine no.
--Ruth Harms Calkin, Tell me again Lord, I Forget

How appropriate to start my blog by thanking my God- "Papa"- for what he has done for me, what he has done in me, and what he has given me!

What has God done for me? The God of the Universe has taken his time to care enough for me to go through an arduous adoption process to make me his son.  The process wasn't just some paperwork and background check.  The process involved sacrificing his own real son to prove that he was capable of being the perfect father.

What has God done in me? If I follow this adoption theme, I can say that he has given me his name! He has made me his own.  I can't separate myself from being godly any more than I can separate myself from being Tim Harlos. It is who I am!  I was recently asked, "Do Christians have a sin nature?" After coming back from the shock factor of being asked this first thing in a Monday morning meeting, I responded, "No, Christians do not have a sin nature!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!"  God has made me new; even though it is an antiquated term, I am truly reborn when I become a Christian!

What has God given me? To start with the obvious, I have a beautiful wife and two great children! I have a healthy body which I can use in a variety of ways to glorify God. I have a nice home and good jobs. I have a great family.  God has gifted me to be a youth pastor which is a very rewarding career. He has also given me the ability to read, to study, and to preach the good news.  I can also relate to others in interpersonal relationships: to encourage and to be encourage, to challenge and to be challenged, to empathize and to be understood!

I thank God every day for his provisions, yet I don't thank him very often for his withholding from me some things.  Sometimes I do thank him for a near miss of an accident or when I am spared some heartache, but it is not too often.  Very few times, however, do I thank him for not giving me what I think is best for me. I want to be more thankful of what God has not given me!

 Papa, thank you for knowing what I need; thank you, for withholding from me things that I wish I could have but would only take my eyes off of you! Help me to remember that "every good and perfect gift comes from you", and the not so perfect ones are only distractions!  (James 1:17)