Remember those colored tags I mentioned in my last post? Well, they're back! This time they've taken over my friend's copy of this incredibly thought-provoking book...The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst. (I'm returning your book soon, Ace, I promise!) Much like Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic, I heard God's Message to me loud and clear within these pages. Now, the question I find myself asking is....'Whatcha' gonna' do now, Dot?" Oh, okay. I sense a little confusion on your part, so maybe you're new to The Roomy Nest. Perhaps you haven't read all about my issues these last few years. No worries. I'll try to briefly catch you up to speed. --Key word: "try". ;)-- In a nutshell, I am cursed with the Disease to Please. Need a spot filled on the committee? Sure, I'll do it. Selling magazine subscriptions for a fund-raiser? I'll buy two. Looking for someone to donate tons of "free time" to a great cause? Okay, I'll add that to my list. See what I'm getting at here? Hello, my name is Dot, and I'm a people pleaser. I can't ever remember a time when I wasn't this way. Innate? Maybe. Easily corrected? Not a chance. So, as a result, I had worn myself down to a shell of a person....doing everything for everybody....and very little for my own soul. Next thing I know, I'd gotten myself into very dangerous territory. I had NO desire to be involved in ANYTHING. I just wanted the madness to stop....even it if meant I had to take myself out of the equation of life. So...after plenty of professional therapy, I was told very clearly that I had to "take some things off my plate"....to "keep my personal teapot filled"...and plenty of other cute little sayings that frankly just seemed like a joke. Truly, I felt as if I was being punked. Hey, am I on candid camera here? Are you a psychologist or an actor trying to catch my reaction on camera for a prime-time comedy show on TV? Because here's the issue....I'm a "yes girl", and I'm baffled by (and honestly a bit envious of) those folks who can verbalize that simple two-letter word so eloquently...."N-O". Why is that word so difficult for me? This is why. Yep. These very reasons. However, I don't want to be caught up in this cycle of lies. See, I really DO believe Satan LOVES to plant these notions in my head so that he can continue to enjoy watching me mentally and emotionally implode. "Dot, if you don't serve another year on that board they are going to be SO disappointed in you...not to mention, they are totally going to pretend they don't know you when they see you around town." Lies. From the biggest liar crawling around this earth. I am SO sick of him, by the way. What a jerk! See, Lysa TerKeurst says that most everything we are asked to do IS a good thing. Singing in the church choir? Good thing! Serving on the School Council? Good thing! Being involved in Community Theatre? Good thing! These and many, many more are all very good things to say YES to. However, for those of us suffering with the Disease to Please, it comes down to asking ourselves..."What is the BEST Yes for me? How do I fix my overwhelmed scheduled & my underwhelmed soul?" I know what you're thinking, dear reader. You're already saying....okay, so how do I possibly decide what the Best Yes is in my life? It's ALL important, right? Ah....and now we've come full circle to my days in therapy when my psychologist/TV host advised me to "just take some things off my plate." It seemed impossible to make that decision back then. What makes the cut and what doesn't? Here's what I learned from this book: So very obvious, yet sheer genius! I had been asking God forEVER to send me a sign. Tell me by way of specific scripture jumping off the pages of my Bible.... Write it on a billboard....whatever! Just tell me, God! And here He's been telling me all along...for YEARS! I've said this before, and I'll continue to say it. God speaks to me. I'm not talking about audible messages in a burning bush or from angels showing up in my house here, but I DO hear God when I stop and truly listen. This time, He's used Lysa TerKeurst to write this message, and then He used my co-worker to suggest I read her book. So, we've acknowledged that most everything is a worthy candidate for a "Yes", but the question is...."Do I have the resources to handle the request physically, financially, spiritually, and emotionally?" If I do, then, hey, Ladies & Gentlemen, I have a BEST YES opportunity in front of me! If it doesn't meet all of those criteria for MY life and the goals that I believe my God has planted deep within me, then I have to say No. It really IS just that simple. "It goes without saying, there are certainly some decisions that need to be processed. but then there are other decisions we just simply need to say yes or no to and move on. Find that courageous yes. Fight for that confident no. Know it. State it. Own it. And move on without all the complication. ~Lisa Terkeurst So, now that I've caught you up to speed (that was "brief", right?), back to my original question.... "Whatcha' gonna' do now, Dot?" Well, I'm wiping several things off my plate ASAP. Without a doubt, they are all good things. They ARE "yes things".....but they are not BEST Yes things for me right now. I'm owning my confident No, and I'm moving on. God's totally in this. I can feel it. I've said a lot here, and, as always, I thank you for reading all the way down to this point. So, now, I ask you, my friend.... do you have an overwhelmed schedule and an underwhelmed soul? Don't fall victim to Satan's lies about that dreaded Disease to Please. Remember, there IS a cure! Find out what YOUR Best Yes is and follow it boldly wherever it takes you. Also, find some time to read a copy of this book and when you do, make notes in the margins, underline sentences, or use those nifty colored tabs to help you remember things that jump off the page at you. That's our God meeting you where you are and answering your cries for help. Listen, follow His Guidance, and find your Peace. I'll be praying for you, and I ask that you do the same for me. Until next time,
~Dot
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AuthorHi! I'm Dot. I refuse to succumb to the "empty nest syndrome"! So, this is my journal.....my photo album.....my attempt to enjoy the next chapter of my life as it unfolds. Welcome to The Roomy Nest! Archives
January 2020
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