The Positivity of No in Scripture

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Words have power. It does not come from the vowels and consonants which form them, nor is it born out of the resonance produced in our ears when they are spoken. The power of words comes from the objects, experiences, ideas and truth which they summon in our minds when we hear them. These connections are potent and have the ability to move and shape our lives as we respond to the words which are spoken to us, or which we whisper to ourselves.

We begin forming these associations as we learn language. Connections are made in our memories from our experiences to the sound of a word, which then informs the power a word might have in our lives. For example, if a baby touches a hot stove and burns her hand, mom immediately cries out, “That is HOT, HOT, HOT!” She will then in all likely hood scoop up the child and comfort her. If her burn is more than a slight reddening of the skin, the mothers will also tend to her wound. All this nurture will not erase from the child’s mind the connection between the pain she experienced on her hand and the word Hot. She has now formed a connection between an experience of an object and the word hot which will exercise power over her for the rest of her life. All someone around her needs in the future when she is approaching an object is call out the word HOT and she will retract her hand to avoid being burned.

This is a wonderful capacity we have as humans to use language to communicate to one another significant truth regarding the objects, experiences, ideas and truth which shape our lives. Part of what knits us together as people and communities is the development of a common language which allows a single word to be able call up the same idea of what that word represents.

This isn’t t...

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...hing much more valuable is waiting for us in the future. It feels better to be willful and make something happen, than it does to seek only move when we are confident the Spirit is leading.

We need to have the courage to embrace the discomfort of the present moment, in order to take hold of the blessing which only come by walking the path of "No". Then, and only then, will we see clearly the "Yes" which God prepared in advance for us. When we arrive there, we will know full well just how positive "No" truly is.

“The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” - Lamentations 3:24

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,” - Ephesians 3:20

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