The Reluctant Yes

Who doesn't love a Solemnity during Lent??

Today the Church celebrates the Annunciation.

"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 

He will be great, and will be called the son of the Most High; 

and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 

and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; 

and of his kingdom there will be no end"

....And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; 

let it be to me according to your word."

Luke 1:30-33,38

Mary's yes was not a "maybe", or an "I guess if you can't find anyone else...", or an "If I have to!" with a sigh and an eye roll.  She gave of herself completely...body, mind and soul. Mary's yes was a perfect yes. 

My own 'yeses' to God often sound more like a reluctant yes.

There are so many small yeses in everyday life. Take today for instance. Monday is my day off and usually I drop off the kids at school and then head to church for about 40 minutes of prayer/reading time before Mass. This week I even had breakfast with a friend planned for after Mass, followed by a couple of errands before heading home to do some cleaning and writing.

Well, Luke had a fever all day yesterday so that meant 'Plan B' for me today. My yes this morning was to hang out with my little guy and take care of him. It was a yes to movies, being together, and reminding him to rest, drink lots of water, and cough into his elbow(!). Instead of quiet and alone time, God asked me to serve Him through my youngest son.

We all have lots of opportunities to say a small yes every single day. Yes to serve by getting lunches and snacks together each morning. Yes to remaining patient when the gym uniform is missing. Yes to showing compassion to grumpy customers or coworkers. Yes to giving love through a smile for your spouse as he walks through the door amidst chaos. Yes to generosity as you drive your kids to games or practices. Yes to a bedtime story or a request for water after you've finally sat down and just want to shut off for the day. Yes to middle of the night wake up calls because of bad dreams...and climbing bunk bed ladders and squishing into a twin bed in uncomfortable positions so your child can fall back to sleep and not feel scared and alone.

All those little yeses might seem unimportant, but they aren't. They are a continual giving of ourselves. It's our way of reaffirming to God that I will serve...even when it's inconvenient, even when I'm tired, even when it's my Plan B...or C or D or Z!

And thankfully, God even gives me grace for the times that my yes sounds reluctant! God even gives me grace when my first response isn't a yes at all but then I work through whatever it is that's keeping me from being open to His will. Yes to letting God into our hearts always bears fruit.

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/banner-yes-no-decision-choice-1183407/

We aren't the only ones struggling with the yes/no battle on a daily basis. Even the saints had to practice! Take St.Teresa of Avila, who is not only a Saint but a Doctor of the Church as well.  In Fire Within, Fr. Thomas Dubay writes, "Yet Teresa had her faults for saints are not born out of the blue. They are weighed down with the same weak human nature we all have, and they experience the same temptations. The difference is that they say a complete Yes to the healing grace God offers to everyone, whereas most of us say 'maybe', or 'somewhat' or 'wait a while...not yet.'"
(emphasis mine)

Saying yes takes practice. God gives us lots of opportunities to say yes in the little things so that we will be ready to say yes in the bigger things He needs us to do.

Where is God asking you to say "yes" to Him today?