Have you ever said, “No,” when you should have said, “Yes.” I did. I, who normally tried to be so obedient, said, “No.” And, it was not to just anyone; it was to God! All He did was ask me to slow down; to lessen my activities. I looked up to heaven and said, “No.” Did I suffered the consequences! I got mononucleosis.

God didn’t zap me out of revenge. He knew my body was getting tired. He knew I would soon be exposed to several people who had mononucleosis, and I would be susceptible. He was trying to protect me. He was probably also trying to straighten out my priorities. I was getting my self-esteem stroked from my many activities. That, instead of following Him, was becoming my driving force. How tragic! He needed to turn me around.

How many times does God try to protect us or redirect us and we say, “No, I want my own way!” What are the consequences, both short and long term? Which is more important to us; the temporal applause of men or the eternal acceptance and applause of God? I pray we all choose the latter. The rewards of an intimate, loving, fulfilling relationship with God are for both now and eternity.

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