No

So I woke up this morning and knew I had a mission. I need to find a God Pod.

You read that right. It's a long story, but suffice it to say that the church I attend has graciously tolerated all my social ministry initiatives. So . . . we've got a food drive, a diaper drive (do you know diapers are not covered by food stamps), a coat drive for needy families, and a Christmas toy drive all coming up. And with so many things I want to do, we can't store it all. So we need a pod. The pastor said, "Why don't we call it a God Pod" (and don't I wish I had come up with that?), and challenge the community to fill it. Great! SO many people are in need. Now where do I get a pod? I suggested trying to beg a local pod company to donate one for our use and we would give them free advertising. So guess what I get to do today?

Now, you would THINK since I am organizing all the above that it's not a big deal to go and find a darn God Pod. But . . . it means going into a store, asking for a manager, and then asking this stranger for a favor. Yes, what we're trying to do is a GOOD thing. But it's still one of those comfort zone things. But I'll do it. Because someone has to . . . because if you don't ask, you can't hear the word yes. Because, well, I don't think God is going to drop a pod on the church's parking lot.

But what is it about the anticipation of the word NO that freaks so many people out? Rejection in whatever form? I hate this part of social work. What's the expression? "The worst they can do is say no." For some people, it's just a shrug and an "oh well." For others, the word "no" is just devastating. Or maybe it's the slight humiliation we feel for putting ourselves out there and THEN hearing a no.

When you think of writing and publishing, the word NO is necessarily part of it. It's a rare writer who has heard nothing but yes their entire career. We put our writing out there. We hear yes or no. But few of us can shrug off the no. We give that NO so much POWER. We hear the NO as "NO and you really SUCK." "NO and you've wasted my time." "NO and you should quit this game."

I don't have any words of wisdom other than . . . no gets easier to hear when you don't "own" it and just accept that it's two letters. But I can't say that I don't fret over the NO word.

So . . . how do YOU handle NO? Inspire us today!