TerKeurst - The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands

Praise for The Best Yes

In a loud and shouty Internet age with more people than ever before vying for our time and attention, learning how to say no is a survival skill. One that we women especially need help mastering. Setting healthy boundaries without giving up on community altogether is the biblical life skill that Lysa unpacks with grace, faith, and a great sense of humor in this book. Reading it was like remembering how to exhale.

LISA-JO BAKER, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF SURPRISED BY MOTHERHOOD: EVERYTHING I NEVER EXPECTED ABOUT BEING A MOM AND COMMUNITY MANAGER FOR THE WEBSITE INCOURAGE.ME

Lysas pen is vibrant, her heart pulsates with understanding and warmth, and her yeses are wisdom-sharp. Im tired of tired. This tome of truth arrived in the nick of time. Thanks, Lysa. I needed to get back on track with my Best Yeses and kind noes.

PATSY CLAIRMONT, AUTHOR OF TWIRL: A FRESH SPIN AT LIFE

I love The Best Yes! Wise, warm, honest, funny, and do-it-now practical, this guide to making smart decisions is just the thing for those of us who have too much on our calendars and need help to stop the madness. Lysa has clearly lived and learned what works and what doesnt. Her stories, examples, and advice all ring true, and wisdom pours from every page. This is her best yet!

LIZ CURTIS HIGGS, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF BAD GIRLS OF THE BIBLE

The Best Yes is Lysa at her best: warm, wise, practical, honest. This topic is so timely for me, and for every other busy woman and mom I know, and Lysa has both instructed and inspired me through these wonderful and necessary pages.

SHAUNA NIEQUIST, AUTHOR OF BREAD & WINE

Like few other women I know, Lysa has the ability to move us from a stuck place to a place of freedom. If you, like me, have spent much of your life saying yes to things you wish you had the courage to say no to, this book will be a game changer. Its a book you will want, not just for yourself but for all the women in your life. When we understand the scriptural principles outlined here, then every Yes! will be intentional, significant, and wholehearted. Thank you, Lysa!

SHEILA WALSH, AUTHOR OF THE STORM INSIDE

The biblical filters in The Best Yes are amazing tools to better process my thoughts and actions. With Lysas help, the Bible is beginning to speak personally to me.

JILL W.

A MUST read. And then MUST read again! FABULOUS book!!!

NICCI R.

The Best Yes poignantly talks about the struggle between our hearts and our heads as we try to live up to the worlds Super Woman challenges for our lives. This book is helping me break the cycle of stress, exhaustion, and overcommitment from trying to please everyone.

SUSAN D.

One of the best time management books ever! Not only does this book help you to prioritize your schedule, but it takes the Word of God and teaches you how to apply it to your daily life. Then you can make choices that honor God and see where you are truly called to be.

LORI B.

The Best Yes is a life changer for women trying to cope with the demands of frazzled, unfulfilled living. Lysa gives practical and godly insight for wisely choosing the Best Yes in order to restore balance and bring joy back to everyday life.

MELANIE P.

It was like a pep talk straight from God through Lysa to my own spirit! Chock-full of insight and practical application, this book will change the way you look at Gods plan for you and how to be a part of it! I could read it again and again and again!

WENDIE C.

Lysa has already taught me how to watch what goes into my mouth and wait before letting words come out of my mouth (in her books Made to Crave and Unglued). Now she is teaching me how to watch what goes into my spirit, so that I can wait on the Holy Spirit and give my Best Yes in all circumstances. Im in awe of how God is using The Best Yes to help me be an OVERCOMER.

SHELLY C.

Thank you so much for this book. It has brought tears to my eyes and laughter in the bad days. It has given me the words I was thinking, but could not speak. I think this book should be in the hands of every woman in a position of leadership in the church and for sure in the hands of all women to empower them to give their Best Yes.

ROBYN C.

2014 by TerKeurst Foundation

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Nelson Books and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scriptures marked AB are from THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE: OLD TESTAMENT. 1962, 1964 by Zondervan (used by permission); and from THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE: NEW TESTAMENT. 1958 by the Lockman Foundation (used by permission).

Scriptures marked MSG are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked NKJV are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked ESV are from THE ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION. 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Scriptures marked HCSB are from HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE. 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Broadman and Holman Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked NLT are from Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-1-4002-0586-8 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

TerKeurst, Lysa.

The best yes : making wise decisions in the midst of endless demands / Lysa TerKeurst.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4002-0585-1

1. Decision makingReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Choice (Psychology)Religious aspectsChristianity. 3. Time managementReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.

BV4509.5.T45 2014

248.4dc23

2014003582

14 15 16 17 18 19 RRD 6 7 4 3 2 1

Contents

DRIVE-THRU ORDERING AND MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER are a bad combination. Brooke can do many things in life. Shes an amazing, beautiful, talented, witty, kind-hearted girl. Who is amazing. I believe I might have mentioned that already. But she panics at the drive-thru box.

Even if weve talked about getting her order in mind beforehand, something always goes haywire. She takes way too long to give me her order. She changes things even after I start placing her order. She confuses the poor order taker who isnt making enough money per hour to deal with people like us.

I feel so awful, like we are breaking drive-thru rules. I know were aggravating the people behind us. The cars arent honking, but I can feel their stares and glares and the desire for us to hurry up. The tension mounts to where I know a honk is coming any minute now, I just know it is. Id pull out of line and circle back around if I could, but you cant at this drive-thru. There are poles in the ground to keep traffic flowing correctly, so once you commit to going through this drive-thru line, you are committed. Even if your daughter cant decide. Even if the line behind you now is wrapping around the building. Even if the order taker is secretly wishing youd go away. You cant. I cant. We cant.