When No Means Yes...

I am reposting this from a few months ago.  It seems topical today for some reason.  I re-read what i had written and it had a profound impact on me.  I hope you find something here also.  Best wishes....from Port Aransas, Texas. 


WHEN NO MEANS YES....Reprised

Last Friday night I had the honor of being asked to speak in front of 200 or so young men and women at the First Independent Baptist Church here in Austin, Texas. The pastor of the church, Mike Marcellus asked me to participate with his youth minister, Daniel, in talking to these kids about our testimony and how our lives had been impacted by our faith. My message was a simple explanation of how God has a real plan for each of us, and that sometimes, we hear NO so that sometime later we might hear Yes!


Sometimes No means Yes. Sometimes no means yes in a big way. And most often, that no seems permanent and final, when in fact, it is temporal and directional. Sometimes No means Yes.

I was a kid who wanted a motorcycle. I have mentioned this in other writings, but I am not sure if I accurately explained how much I wanted a motorcycle. My uncle Jerry was a famous motorcycle racer and I wanted to be like him. All the cool kids in our area had motorcycles, I got to go watch motorcycle races, motorcycle motorcycle motorcycle! Yep, I wanted one bad. I would cut out pictures and leave them around the house. My mom or grandmother would ask what I wanted for dinner, I would say, "Honda Mini Trail 70" motorcycle! They got sick of it. In fact, I think secretly they just wanted to see if I would explode at some point if they DIDN'T get me a motorcycle. We couldn't afford a motorcycle, they weren't safe, and blah blah blah blah blah. I want a motorcycle.


I NEVER GOT A MOTORCYCLE. I became a Christian at the age of 13. I thought God somehow was the cosmic order taker of my wants, not really having a mature vision of Him being the Supreme Overseer and guidance counselor. It's sort of why we don't give flamethrowers to 6 year olds I think. He never sent me a motorcycle. I still wake up on birthdays and Christmas and groundhog day and national peanut butter day and other important holidays thinking somehow the universe just might have gotten me a motorcycle. Nah. I ain't getting a motorcycle. NO........


So I did the next best thing and got a bicycle. Yep. Pedals. Schwinn Stingray to be exact. I made motorcycle sounds with my mouth while I rode. I put a playing card up into the spokes for that ultra cool MX motorcycle sound at a fraction of the cost. And a bicycle, not a motorcycle, would make all the difference. I won't go into the inner workings of the sport of bmx, but somehow I got involved in the VERY early stages of a sport that is now on the world staqe being a part of the Olympics. It has a National Hall of Fame of which I am now a member. This year, as the MC of the National BMX Hall of Fame, I get to induct the inventor of the coveted Schwinn Stingray, Mr. Al Fritz. Bicycles seemed to make a big difference for him as well. Yep, I get to lead the party where the inventor of The Schwinn Stingray get's his props. Me. A Kid without a motorcycle. I get to do it. Really? How about that? That is Eskimo cool. Cool in a way that I don't have words for. Gnarly. It is excellent.

God has a plan for our lives. Sometimes, it doesn't become evident till some time later. As I stood on the stage in 2006 accepting my own induction into the National Bmx Hall of Fame, my dad was present in the audience. And at that moment it occured to me, "If I had gotten my own way, this moment may not have ever happened". I spoke to my father there on the spot in a departure from my carefully planned speech and thanked him for NOT letting me get a motorcycle. God has a plan for our lives, and sometimes he uses those around us to make sure His plan gets implemented. I am usually bewildered by life, but this one I am certain of. I've messed up so many times, fallen short so often, and managed to hit the nail squarely on the thumb with a frequency that is quite unimpressive. However, this one did indeed turn out right.


I asked, and No was the answer. It meant Yes to something much greater for me, my family, and my friends who celebrated with me. No can mean Yes---if you let it. Now I get it. Finally

Cash Matthews

It turned out pretty good for me.....Audrey, fishing....this is the good stuff!

Old guy with baby!  Fun!!! (September 9, 2008!)