Just say, YES!

“Should we knock on the door or just leave them here?” I wasn’t sure which would be best.

John and I were just passing through on our way home from a Bible conference at the Cove in Asheville. And now we found ourselves on the front porch of a perfect stranger in a neighborhood of a city not our own.

Having checked into our hotel, we had walked out the door to build up a few thousand steps on our exercise app. After all we had been sitting in the car for hours. And in the course of our walk we found ourselves walking past some houses in an older neighborhood reminiscent of earlier times in our lives.

There were evidences of young families here and there … a trampoline, toys, balls … in yards. But as we continued walking, we hadn’t paid much attention to the young mom and three (or were there four?) little girls in a yard on the corner; not until one by one, each of them greeted us with waves and sweet “hellos.” One of them even came closer to make sure we noticed her too. So cute and kind. And the lovely young mom was smiling. Of course we returned their greetings and continued on our way. We were so blessed by the preciousness of it all!

John and I decided to walk into the grocery store across from our hotel. We weren’t needing anything in particular … just some more steps on our app (out of the 90 degree heat).

And then I saw them — a big bin half-full of purple-y pink rubber balls … only pink! And then I heard the quirky idea — “Why not buy four of those pink balls and take them back to those sweet, friendly little girls!” Could that be God?

Turning to John (who does NOT tend to be spontaneous at all) telling him the idea, I said, “Should we do it? It could be God!”

And it was then we both recalled how one of the significant messages we had heard just days before was Jill Bricoe”s message, “Just say YES to God!” So we said, “YES, let’s do it!”

Back we walked wondering, “What if they aren’t outside? Should we just leave them in the yard? on the porch?”

When we got there, all was quiet. No one around — they were all inside. So here we were,. . . standing on the front porch of a perfect stranger in a neighborhood of a city not our own.

Should we knock? . . . Yes, knock!

Well apparently, Daddy had gotten home from work. And there he was, answering the door to a perfect stranger, arrayed in a full Chewbacca costume with his sweet little gals all around him.

John was dumbfounded, but I just said to the dad, “We had been walking earlier past your house, and your cute little girls greeted us enthusiastically. We thought that they might enjoy these balls.”

“Thank you’s” resounded from the littles. And as we walked back down the driveway to the street, I said to John, “What an awesome Dad.”

Just at that moment, their sweet young mom shouted from the doorway. “Sorry for the outfit,” she apologized for “Chewbacca’s” get-up. I shouted in reply, “What an amazing dad he must be!”

And John and I went our way rejoicing . . . so glad that we had “just said YES” to God! What fun and what joy! It had seemed like a risk. But what risk? Life is too short to risk saying NO to God.

Is there something, dear friend, that seems a bit quirky, a bit scary, a bit risky? What do you have to lose? Step out and say YES.

Show up. Reach out. Buy that “pink ball” and take it to someone who may be delighted by your thoughtfulness.

Just say YES! And experience His joy and pleasure.

Amen

[First posted October 2019]