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Key Bible Verses: Am I like people of the world who say yes when they really mean no? … I am not (2 Corinthians 1:17–18). Bonus Reading:2 Corinthians 1:12–20

Years ago I saw a video in which a family was sitting in their hot Texas home—with no air conditioning—on a Sunday afternoon. The dad suggested they drive 60 miles to Abilene for ice cream. Mom said okay. The daughter and her husband mumbled vague assent, and they all got into the car.

In the next scene, walking back into the house after their trip, Mom questioned why they even went to Abilene, complaining she'd never really wanted to go.

The daughter and son-in-law quickly jumped on the negative bandwagon. All three denied actually wanting to go to Abilene, saying they only went because the rest of the family wanted to go. However, before the trip, no one had said how he or she truly felt about going to Abilene.

To top it all, even Dad hadn't really wanted to go to Abilene. He'd merely been trying to think of something for the family to do on a Sunday afternoon. He really hadn't thought anyone would say yes when he suggested going.

So everyone went to Abilene, but no one really wanted to go—all because no one shared their true feelings. Ever been there?

—Rodney Wilson in HomeLife

My Response: A time when I went down a "road to Abilene" was when …

Thought to Apply: A No uttered from deepest conviction is better … than a Yes merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.
—Mahatma Gandhi

Adapted from: HomeLife (5/01) by permission.

Copyright © 2002 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Dear Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to me. Now help me to constructively express myself to those I love.

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