The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands by Lysa TerKeurstMy local book discussion group chose this book to read and discuss. While I don't think I have a huge problem saving my "yeses" for the most important things (I've worked on this off and on in the last 20 years), it still was good to review the idea and Lysa TerKeurst did a good job with the concept.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"When I tell someone no, I visualize my family and see myself saying yes to them."
"Whenever you say yes to something, there is less of you for something else. Make sure your yes is worth the less."
"Be intentional about leaving enough unscheduled time on my calendar for relationship moments to happen."
"The decisions we make dictate the schedules we keep. The schedules we keep determine the lives we live. The lives we live determine how we spend our souls."
"God's promises are not dependent on my ability to always choose well, but rather on His ability to use well."
There really were lots of good things in this book. She lists questions to help the reader decide what the later consequences will be of saying "yes" to something now. She challenges us to be brave enough to step out on faith and say "yes" when it's our yes, rather than being paralyzed by indecision. She challenges us to know when to say no to self so we can say yes to someone else. She cautions us to say no right away when it's needed, rather than letting pressure build until it's harder or more complicated to say no.
But best of all, in my perception, she focuses a lot on gaining wisdom as we're faced with opportunities--especially the very difficult opportunities life throws at us. This is the best of TerKeurst's books that I've read so far.
Good to know. I didn't stomach "Unglued" so well (and the quote above "Make sure your yes is worth the less" still made me cringe; any time she forces a cutesy rhyme at the expense of grammar I come a little, well, unglued), but I've had several people recommend this book now. I still wasn't thinking I needed to read it (I used to be terrible at saying 'No,' but over-committed enough to learn my lesson the hard way), but I think I could use some advice on when to say 'No' to self so that I could say 'Yes' to others.
ReplyDeleteYes, she's a cutesy writer and I don't love her books, but this is the best of the three I've read.
DeleteI keep seeing this title float by but I wasn't sure what it was about. Glad to see your review of it. I won't rush out and buy it though (perhaps making my possible delayed "no" more complicated and harder to say?).
ReplyDeleteIt's not a rush out and buy for sure--pick it up used, borrow from a friend. . . :)
DeleteI'm not a huge Tyerkeurst (or however you spell her name!) fan, but I did glean quite a few things from Unglued, as I recall. I'll probably read this one eventually since this is something I do struggle with. :-)
ReplyDelete