“I love you, but no.”

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”, says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9

I was at a local store buying dinner with my kids. They of course were acting up, as they often do after being at school all day. My son asked to play a game on my phone. I looked down at him, and said, “I love you, but no.”

The man fixing our sides for dinner (Rotisserie chicken dinner – mom win!) said, “Great answer.” I smiled and went on my way. Later on as I got in the car, I felt the Holy Spirit begin speaking to my heart. So many times we ask God for things. We beg Him. We plead as if we know what is best for us more than He does. And He will quietly and gently say, “I love you, but no.”

I could have let my son have my phone. In fact, it probably would have made my shopping experience a whole lot easier. But I knew he didn’t need it. I knew he could drop it, break it, or come across something online he shouldn’t see. I knew that more than likely he would look up Bad Lip Reading videos with his sister (annoyingly catchy by the way). So I said no. My no, however, did not stop him from repeatedly asking again later.

How many times do we do this with God? “Lord, can I date him? Can I have this job? This part? Can you hurry up? Can I have an answer now? A mate now? Anything now?! And again we hear, “ I love you, but no.” How many times do we beg, arguing that we know better, trying to convince God that our timing is perfect?

If we beg long enough, He may give us what we ask for. But what if it is not all He has? What if it is not the best? What if we get and Ishmael instead of an Isaac, a burden instead of a promise?

I believe there are things in life that happen to us that do not have to happen. They happen because of our choices. They happen because of rebellion. They happen because we want our way instead of God’s. They happen because we confuse our will with God’s will. The two are very different. But because we want it so bad, we change the “No” to “Not right now.” And we keep on begging.

What if we accepted the “no” and learned to trust God in all things? How many trials would we be saved from? How many hardships would we escape?

When God says no, it’s because He has a better plan. It is because He sees what we do not see. It is because He has a bigger plan. “I love you, but no” is actually a positive thing. Because He has something greater in store.