The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands Paperback – August 19, 2014

A great book for anyone struggling with making a decision from a Biblically sound perspective regarding demands on your time and energy, it's okay to say no sometimes and even healthy 😊

The Best Yes, by Lysa Terkeurst, published by Nelson Books 2014, ISBN 978-1-4002-0585-1Book Review by Rachel HT MendellI loved this book. I hated this book. I'm so conflicted.This book spoke to me like no other. It spoke to my hurried-ness, my anger, my bitterness, my scatter-brained-ness, my fears and my doubts. This book made me laugh. This book made me cry. I was saying “Amen!” out loud alternately with wanting the throw the book across the room.Have you ever thought these words? “I'm tired. I'm distracted. I'm disappointed in myself. I feel slightly used and more than slightly used up. I'm a little overwhelmed and a lot worn down.” This is where the book starts. Then Terkeurst takes us step-by-tiny-step through a thinking process that leads to peace. We learn great questions to ask ourselves, hard questions, that lead to solid decisions, not people-pleasing decisions.Yes, I hated reading this book, and not because it challenged me. I love to be challenged. I hated this book because, as a writer, I could have written a book on these same issues. I have had most of the experiences and have come to the same conclusions as Terkeurst (see my “Amen!” above), so reading my life flowing effortlessly through the pages of someone else's pen gave me pangs of regret, envy and jealousy.Therefore, let me publicly apologize for my private sin of jealousy. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I could not have written THIS book. My writing style is too strict and I have trouble sharing my personal failures on paper. Terkeurst was clearly chosen to write this particular book and you will not be disappointed. Instead, you will be encouraged.Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:About making the right decision:“Here's the bottom line. Good decisions will often have elements of not so good. And not-so-good decisions have elements of good. Either way, if I'm hoping to be able to know the perfect choice and then move forward with certainty, I'll probably not move forward.”and“If your heart and your mind are aligned in the direction of God, you don't have to agonize to the point of paralysis over the decisions before you. We will steer where we stare. So stare mightily at God and His plan. And if you don't know His plan, stare mightily at living out His Word in your life and His plan will unfold day by day. Decision by decision.”I'm in a not-knowing-God's-plan kind of place right now in my life, so that last quote really helps me. I know walking day by day will reveal what He has planned for me. If there is to be a Great Big Plan in my life, He will give it to me when I am ready.If you have said “Yes” to too much and need to learn to say “No,” then this book could help.If you feel like you don't have enough time for your family, you might want to take a look at this book.If you know, without a doubt, glaring at you in neon every day, that you need more time for yourself, please, please, please read this book.The Best Yes will comfort you and challenge you. Terkeurst writes from experience and the wisdom that only experience can produce.You can trust this book and its suggestions for clearer thinking and cleaner schedule.One more thing – about multitasking … remember when it was a good thing to multi-task? Are you still trying to achieve the Ultimate Multitasking Master status? Well, I gave up on that goal a few years ago because it was causing me to make mistakes – big ones. It also gave me Brain Fuzz. I hate Brain Fuzz. Terkeurst agrees:“But here's a little cautionary thought. Checking your email in the middle of creative work momentarily knocks your IQ down ten points, according to the British Institute of Psychiatry. The research shows that our brains aren't wired for multitasking. One author called it 'junk food for the brain.'”Terkeurst is part of Proverbs 31 Ministry. If you don't already know about Proverbs 31 Ministries, go take a look: [...](this review first appeared on the blog Domestic Mobility – [...] )

TerKeurst paints a picture of the everyday world, yet her painting is as messy and unkempt as my world. What I love most is that she doesn’t stand on her soapbox for all to hear how great her life has been and how we should all be perfect, Proverbs 31 following women, but rather she tells (humorous at times) her tales of when she has not been perfect, yet how these situations have molded her as a woman of God.The meat of the book, perhaps I should say overall theme, is how and when to say “Yes” and how to graciously say “No” without hurting feelings or feeling guilty. Since reading this book and something else is being added to my plate, I honestly sit back and reflect on if I can handle what is being given to me without stressing myself and my family. Because really, what good is it to take on something like the Angel tree at school if it is only going to cause conflict within my life? This thought goes great with one of my favorite quotes from the book, “The woman who lives the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.” Wow… what a great truth. Now, don’t get me wrong. I firmly believe that such acts are noble, and we need people to fulfill such duties, but it doesn’t have to be the same person to do everything!This book is an easy read, mostly because I felt like I was sitting with a dear friend over coffee. At times, I could hear myself mentally saying things like, “Oh, no she didn’t!” when she shared stories of being judged by her peers for dressing frumpy or not having time to volunteer for another church event. All in all, this book gives easy solutions to over committing yourself while in an attractive format. This book is a MUST for all the people pleasers out there

I have purchased this book multiple times to give away to others. Lysa Terkeurst is my absolute favorite Christian author!We used this as our ladies bible study several years ago and I still fall back on Lysa’s wisdom and advice from this book. If you are the type of person that struggles to tell people no or feel guilty when you do, this is the book for you! When Lysa turned it around from saying “no” to instead saying “choosing your best yes”, that resounded with me. I will often ask myself when I am getting ready to over-commit myself if what I’m agreeing to is really my best yes.I absolutely love this book. I will continue to buy it to give away, but my only issue was with this particular copy. The book that I received was not the book pictured on this listing. I expected a black cover with a mint green writing. I received a book that was white with stripes on it and had a target sticker on it. Again, I gave it as a gift. I am assuming the words in the book were exactly like the original, but I would have liked to know that I was receiving a different copy than what was advertised.

Very informative well written was easy to understand and follow

The media could not be loaded. Love this book and it’s sooo fitting for the age we live in with a world full of too many opportunites this helps narrate and help you narrow down where you feel god is calling you and gives practical advice for how to get to your goals. I buy these as presents for graduates and young people!

This book helped me to make the Best Yes. in 2015 my son and friends received an award for bravery from Canada. We were at a friends house in Calgary, My son said "Mom, can you play ping pong with me?' normally I would finish getting ready. But in that moment, I said YES! it was the best choice instead of saying no.