#1 – The No of Being Blind

#1 – The No of Being Blind

I was not expecting my life to take a drastic turn until a round of medical tests revealed I had prostate cancer just before Thanksgiving in 2010. That diagnosis translated into one great big no!  

After receiving the diagnosis, I started reading John 9 to review the miraculous power of God to heal the sick…  

This book, Say Yes When Life Says No, is for 3 groups of people: 

  1. You are in the middle of a major no; a physical problem or a financial struggle. 
  1. You are doing fine but there is a no on your horizon; you are complacent. 
  1. You have worked your way through a no and you want to keep making progress.  

Interestingly, the blind man who is the hero of the story recorded in John 9 fits all three categories. Mr. Blind Man had been blind for so long that he had adapted to blindness. But his blindness also represented a significant no. And even after his healing encounter with Jesus, he still had to deal with life saying no. That is why he made such an impression on me.  While I was focused on my one physical challenge, Mr. Blind Man taught me so much about my need to commit to a lifestyle of yes because the nos never go away.  

What about you? Where has life said no to you? The purpose of this book is to help shed this attitude of never doing better – of settling for less that God’s best – and, instead, dream for ourselves and work to turn our dreams into realities, our blindness into sight and our nos into yeses.  

Read the full chapter in Say Yes When Life Says No. Get your copy here.  

I stood up in the pulpit at our church to preach one Sunday morning, but when I looked down at my bible to read my text, I could not understand a word. The page was a collection of blurred, indiscernible images. Fortunately, I was familiar enough with this particular verse that I quoted it from memory, but it had become evident that I needed help with my sight. That very afternoon, I made an appointment to have my eyes examined, and ever since, I have appreciated my ability to see. I have been much more grateful for the gift of sight.