The Power of No

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:15-16 NIV

There is power in saying no, insofar as it allows us to say yes to what is important in life. If you are one of the many people who have trouble saying no, you know intuitively how true this is. That is, we are often stuck doing things we did not want or need to do simply because we couldn’t say no. How often have you been pulled away from something that was important to do and aligned with your values by someone asking you to do something that didn’t need to be done, or worse, something frivolous. Parents, teachers, and managers all have to say no with some frequency during their lives and their occupations. A parent who cannot say no will raise unruly children who are difficult to be around. It is good advice for parents and teachers to not let their children or students do things which are bothersome to them, lest they raise children who are bothersome to others. Perhaps the power of no is most relevant to our moral and spiritual lives. Leading a good life requires us to affirm our values, and this necessarily entails rejecting the things which are antithetical to them. Loving God and living a truly spiritual life requires us to say no to much of this world’s values. –Christopher Simon