Saying Yes!
Simplicity and Joy
Reflection By Scott Stoner
Be present to the possibility of joy. … For God is good and present and doing more than we can imagine.
- Amy McCreath
In the story from Sunday’s reflection, when Amy McCreath’s friend Paul came and said, “Let’s go!” she had several choices of how she could have responded. She could have said, “No, can’t you see how busy I am?” Or, “This is just not the right time for this.” She also could have responded with, “Yes, but I can only be gone for an hour.” Or, “Yes, but I can’t leave until I get more work done.” Instead, she chose, “Yes, let’s go!” and off Amy and her two friends went for a day of simple laughter and joy.
Amy’s story speaks to me of the stress I frequently put on myself this time of year as I get so busy making plans of all sorts. I find myself thinking that once all my plans work out, I will then be able to stop and enjoy myself. It is often, however, at just that moment that God comes along and invites me to let go of my plans and choose instead to experience joy in this present moment. Occasionally I am able to say “Yes!” and when I do, I am always grateful. Too often, though, I say, “Not now,” or “Yes, but …”
Planning can be essential during the holidays. But, we all know the saying, “Too much of a good thing …” To paraphrase the scripture from Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time to plan, and a time (yes even during Advent) to spontaneously let go of those plans, and to say “Yes!” to God’s invitation to cultivate both simplicity and joy right here and now in the present moment.
Making It Personal: What might God be inviting you to spontaneously say “Yes” to right now? Are you aware of times when you are seemingly saying “Yes” to God, but often making it a “Yes, but …”? Are the holidays this year offering you a chance to say “Yes” to a different plan than perhaps you originally had in mind?