“Do you want to go to Africa?” my friend Debi asked when I bumped
into her in the hallway at church.
“Yes, I do.”
And that was it. I had no details, no dates, and no purpose for
going. Yet I had just committed to traveling to the other side of the world.
I’m not typically a “yes” person. I tend to say “no” a lot more.
But for some reason, I knew Africa was calling me.
In the months before my friend asked, I had been praying God would
open a new door that would take me out of my comfort zone. About to turn 50, my
desire was to do something that added a new purpose to my life. Don’t get me
wrong. I loved what I was doing, but sometimes life needs to be stirred up so
we can see things from a different perspective.
I never dreamed God would ask me to go to Malawi, Africa.
And it all happened because a friend asked, and I said “yes.”
“Yes” is a powerful word because it draws us into activity. Most
things we do begin with a “yes” or a “no.” We accept or deny.
• I gladly said “yes” when my husband
asked me to marry him.
• I eagerly said “yes” when I accepted my
first job.
• I cautiously said “yes” when my neighbor
asked me to volunteer at her school.
Sometimes the activity is short-lived and has a beginning and end,
like saying “yes” to having coffee with a friend. But sometimes a “yes” can
dramatically change the course of your life.
There was one particular time when my “yes” changed everything,
because it was the beginning of my Jesus story. I said “yes” to Jesus when I
was nine years old. I prayed and asked him to become part of my life.
Saying “yes” to Jesus is the beginning of a wild and wonderful
life. Although Jesus doesn't use the exact words “wild and wonderful,” he does
make a lot of promises about what a life with him might look like.
Maybe your life is feeling a little unwound, unknown, crazy, or
even stagnant. It’s okay; Jesus wants to join you wherever you are. He is not
afraid of your mess. He can handle your doubts and fears. More than anything,
he wants to be part of all your endeavors and walk alongside you every day.
Jesus wants to
do your wild and wonderful journey together.
All you have
to do is say “yes.”
If you choose to say “yes,” there’s no guarantee everything will
turn out exactly as you planned. And I can’t promise that you won’t experience
difficult times along the way. However, saying “yes” to Jesus means he is with
you every step of your journey. You won’t be alone as you travel.
And this is what makes life both wild and wonderful.
"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"
(2 Corinthians
1:20-21, The Message).
