When I was about 7 years old I remember balling as my parents took me to registration. I didn't want to go. I really didn't want to go. And, I don't think the next year was much better. But, the years after that got better and eventually I'd go to registration without crying. I probably even started to look forward to it. That second year, I discovered I was actually pretty good at it. IT was baseball. IT became a significant part of my life, hours of fun, opened opportunities, life lessons...
When I was 17, some classmates of mine thought I should go on a date with a girl I'd never met. I said NO over and over again but they were relentless. Finally, I agreed to go on a date with Kaylyn. We got married 6 years later and nobody has had a more significant impact on my life since then.
A few months later, still 17, a baseball coach came to one of my high school games and offered me the opportunity to start all 4 years on the ball team at his college. Oglethorpe University. I had applied at probably 6-7 universities and was planning to attend University of Georgia and try to walk on the baseball team at the time I talked to Coach Meyer. There was only ONE university that I had said I didn't want to attend during this college selection process. Oglethorpe University. It was small and very "academic". I wanted a big school to blend in at. You could see the campus from the train we'd take into Atlanta for Braves Games. When we'd pass OU, I'd often comment, "I'll never go there". I wasn't balling but I certainly wasn't looking forward to the college life at OU but I was thankful to be able to play 4 more years of baseball. And, OU became a significant part of my life, bridging baseball and CFA as the key activities in my life.
When I was 21, I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do after college. I had thought through jobs such as accounting, marketing, psychology, coaching, teaching... None seemed to fit. Some of my peers kept mentioning CFA as a career. No, no, no... I didn't want a career in fast food. In fact, I'd even begun looking for part time work to replace CFA while in college. While looking for other jobs at a career fair I came upon a booth for CFA. I hadn't thought about working at the corporate office and it suddenly seemed like a decent option. As I inquired about that role CFA said NO but they asked if I'd be interested in owning a location. No, no, no. But my peers kept nudging me and I realized that I could do every one of those roles I mentioned above while in the role of CFA Operator. Obviously, that decision has had a significant impact on my life.
When I was 23, CFA asked me if I'd like to become the owner of Memorial Drive FSR. I had been an interim manager at that location for a few months and knew it had minimal potential. We were dead last in the chain in sales for FSRs and profit was negative every year. I was making $30k as the manager and that's what I would expect to make as the owner, plus I'd then have to pay 100% of my social security tax. A 7% cut in take-home pay. I didn't want to be tied down to that store so I said NO. CFA asked again and I said NO again. Then they told me they would work with me to relocate IF I took Memorial Drive and generated a good track record. So, I finally said YES. Without that YES at Memorial Drive, Roxboro Rd wouldn't have happened for me.
Around this time of my life I began to notice a trend and I began to wise up. Just about everything that's had a positive impact in my life started with me saying NO. And, it's funny. Many, if not most, of the things I wanted to say YES to initially, were things that were in the way of the better things.
Another common thread is that God was using those around me. They were persistent. Sometimes it was the same person but often it was multiple people separately nudging me. God will use whoever and whatever he needs to answer our prayers and stear us if we just listen.
When I hear myself say NO to something, I then begin asking myself if this is one of those NO's that needs to become a YES. Even 20 years later I still find myself going down the NO path when I should be more open minded.
What have you been saying NO to? What opportunities feel like NO's right now? What has God placed in front of you that you are saying NO to?
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