God loves saying yes to you.

I remember being little and plotting with my siblings, strategizing ways to present an idea to our parents in a way that would get them to say yes. It could’ve been as small as wanting to go get ice cream, but we’d think through different factors, figure out solutions to problems that might make them say no, and – maybe most importantly – decide which one of us should ask based on who had the highest chance of getting a yes.

Now, I have a nephew who is 10. Whether I’m visiting or on FaceTime, I’m noticing more and more that this same thing is happening with him and his brother. They’ll be in their room, talking and strategizing, and then one of them will come out and present their case.

It’s wild to be on the other side of these conversations, to see their faces and recognize the hope and nervousness of putting it out there. And then to know exactly the level of relief and excitement when the answer is yes – or disappointment when the answer is no.

Honestly, it’s the no that gets me. Because I know what it feels like to have thought through an idea. To really believe that it makes sense and should work out, and there isn’t a reason to say no.

And yet, the answer is still sometimes no.

As an adult, these conversations hit different. Not just because I remember what it feels like to be in their shoes, but because I have so much more context. As a kid, you think you’re thinking through everything, but there are a lot of other factors you didn’t know, and couldn’t have known, to consider. There are things I can only see now, on this side of the conversation.

But the thing that gets me the most is realizing that on this side of the conversation – whether it’s my sister, my parents, or myself hearing my nephews’ argument – we too are often secretly plotting in the other room, trying to figure out how to make it happen. Because we want to say yes.

When I see the disappointment in my nephews’ faces, that’s what I think about. You have no idea how much we want the answer to be yes, and you have no idea how much better it is for you that the answer is no right now.

This might not be your reality as an adult or as a parent. And it might not have been true of what was happening behind the scenes as a child either. But I believe wholeheartedly that this is the heart of God for us.

I think God has a lot more context than we do, and He’s taking way more factors into account than we even know about. But I believe that when we come to Him and ask Him for something we want – even something as small as a parking space – He wants to say yes.

In spite of what it looks like, in spite of how quiet He might seem, God loves saying yes to us. And as His child, on this side of the conversation, I don’t think we can even comprehend how much.

The power of God is in you, even on a Thursday.