Before I Say Yes to One More Thing …
LYSA TERKEURST
“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.”
Proverbs 14:8 (NIV)
I stood at the dirt mound /watching ants. They were busy. I was not.
I was just a little girl /stuck in the middle of a slow afternoon. Several of my friends had been invited /to the community pool. Another friend was at camp for the week. Even my last resort, the pigtailed aggravation //that lived /in the apartment below, was busy. “She’s napping,” her mom had informed me.
I walked away /thinking, She’s 6 years old. Only two years younger than me, and she still takes naps? That's the awfullest thing () a mom could do to her child. And this is the awfullest afternoon ever.
I sat /on the swing of the playground /behind our apartment complex. I scuffed the toes of my red sneakers, making lines in the dirt /as I moved slowly /back and forth. If a child could have died from boredom, I felt quite terminal at that moment.
* terminal 형- forming or situated at the end or extremity of something,
Then I spotted the anthill.
I walked over and stood there. Just about the time I was thinking about how lucky all those ants were to have so many friends, I heard [a scratchy little voice] [call out to me].
“I bet () you won’t stick your foot through that anthill.” Pigtail girl had woken up from her afternoon slumber.
And for heaven’s sake I would not, could not, be shamed by a girl //who still took naps.
I knew in my mind I shouldn't kick the anthill. I knew in my heart () I shouldn't kick the anthill. And I knew deep down in my soul I shouldn’t kick the anthill. Every part of me knew I should walk away /from the anthill.
But some silly part of my mouth betrayed me.
“Yes I will!” I declared as I kicked my foot into the middle of ant Hades.
It didn't take long to feel /as if someone had lit 1,000 needles on fire and stabbed me mercilessly.
Since that day, I haven't kicked an anthill. At least not in the literal sense.
But I have gotten myself into situations //where I invited trouble /into my life //that just didn't need to be there. Especially in the area of saying yes to something () I absolutely should say no to.
I will know in my mind I should say no. I will know in my heart I should say no.
I will know deep down in my soul I should say no.
But then my mouth will betray me, “Yes, of course I will do that.”
And then?
The sting of the three D’s comes …
Dread — As I write yet another thing on my schedule, I feel the weight of overload.
Disappointment — In order to make this happen, I will disappoint someone.
Drama — Dread and disappointment will ratchet my emotions to a tipping point.
A tipping point //that’s not healthy for me or those with //whom I do life.
Here’s what I’m trying to preach to myself: Just because I can do something doesn’t mean () I should do it.
I kicked the anthill /that day /for three reasons … I thought it proved I was something.
I thought it would impress nap girl. And I didn't think through the cost /beforehand.
* Think through definition is - to think about all the different parts or effects of (something) for a period of time
Proverbs 14:8a says, “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways …” As a little girl on the playground, I was neither wise nor prudent. Thankfully I know now that God's wisdom is readily available.
I've learned if I pause /before making an impulsive choice and ask God [what to do], He will answer. In fact, He's given me some questions /to ask myself //that help me determine [whether something is an assignment from Him or an anthill //that will get me into trouble].
Before saying yes to one more thing on my schedule, I ask myself:
Am I trying to prove something?
Am I trying to impress someone?
Have I thought through [the cost of saying yes]?
It's not bad to say yes to opportunities.
But we really should give thought to our ways and consider [whether this is an assignment or an anthill].
Take the assignment if it's yours. But don’t kick the anthills.
Dear Lord, I’m asking for Your guidance /as I discern assignments from anthills.
Thank You for Your direction. In Jesus' Name, Amen.