Saying "Yes"

In today’s gospel, Jesus says to the crowd and his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” These are hard, challenging words. Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow me. Not an easy road.

An article by Layng Martine, Jr., in today’s New York Times describes the journey of one couple that embraces both “denying yourself” and “saying yes.”

Layng relates how his wife Linda was involved in a terrible automobile accident that left her a paraplegic. Now her body works only from the chest up. As a result of the accident, Linda can no longer engage in many of the physical activities that once defined her life, like hiking mountains, riding waves, and running marathons. Layng and Linda have discovered that their journey together requires much more effort, creativity and forethought than ever before just to get from one place to the next.

“We know that most people — strangers, anywhere — will knock themselves out to help us if we explain what we need,” Martine explains. “We know to say ‘Yes’ to nearly everything because there is probably a way to do it. We know there is happiness available every day, most of it requiring more effort than money. And effort seems like a small price to pay for a day at the beach, a trip to New York or for dinner up eight steps to a friend’s home.”

Following the accident, Layng and Linda discovered they have a new cross to bear. But they also discovered that saying “yes,” even to strangers, can make the cross easier to bear and permit them to live a life of fullness.

-- Pat Jones