Editor’s note: There is a very special young woman who is making a big life choice right now, embarking on a new part of her life, forging a new path and setting out on her own. This is a letter written to her and shared with you. May it bless your life as I pray it blesses hers.

Your future, your dreams, your whole vision of your life lies between two words. Five little letters have all the control. Choosing which word to use at what time will be your job from here on out… and that choice– that ONE choice– will be everything… over and over again. And when you choose one, you automatically rule out the other. You cannot have it both ways at once and you often cannot change your decision once it is made. You must choose carefully. You must contemplate what will be the best path. You must weigh these two words, these five letters. You must recognize their import and use them appropriately, deftly, skillfully. Some situations will call for swift action, so you must be ready, your two words trained and standing at your beck and call. You must already know how to use them. Some situations will be more kind to you and allow you the time to comtemplate and pray and ponder and weigh more carefully. But you will still need to be ready, on the alert and never shy to weild your words like weapons to protect your future.

How do you train to use these oh-so-important words? What can you do to ensure you will use them rightly? Study. You must study. You must train your mind to see as God sees so that you will know what way to choose. What will you study? Will you study the culture and society around you? No. What do they know of God and His ways? Nothing. Will you study what a preacher says, what a minister says? No. He is just a man and may well fail you. Will you listen to the advice of well-meaning women and rely solely on their counsel and kinship? No. As well-meaning as they may be, they are yet only human and cannot save you come the judgment day. What, then? What will teach you to use these five letters to your best advantage, to mold your future that you may meet your maker and smile? You already know, don’t you? Of course you do.

You know that nothing but God’s word can truly guide you aright. Only the Bible can teach you His ways. Of course, sound preachers and good-hearted women can help you to see His words, understand His words and use them… but only the scriptures can ultimately be your foundation. You must know them so that you recognize when the truth is in your hands and when the devil’s lies are populating your world. Only the Bible can teach you to wield these two words so that they shape your future to His design.

Did you figure it out? Do you see it for yourself? These two words… these five letters that will be your tools, your weapons, your friends or your foes… did you discover that they are the simplest of words that even toddlers use? “Yes” and “no”. Y-E-S and N-O. You must learn to use them skillfully for if you do not, it will be your ruin. You must understand that when you say yes, you are also saying no. If you say yes to sin, you say no to God. Often one no means also saying no to other things as well; one yes means yes to the host of things that follows along. If you say no to attending Sunday morning worship, you have said no to making God the lord of your life. If you say yes to Wednesday night study and fellowship, you are saying yes to friends who can help to keep you on the path. Each choice has an impact and makes ripples like a pebble dropped into the pond of your life. Even when things seem as though they are out of your control, you always have yes and no. You choose your attitude and say yes and no with it. You choose your response and say yes and no with it. You choose. Only you.

So where will your life go? The road lies before you and the edges of it are shaped by the simplest of words, by five little letters, by two tiny syllables… yes… no… yes… no… no… yes… yes…

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Erynn Sprouse

Erynn is the author of Perfected (A Study of Hebrews). She and her husband, Jeremy serve with the Patrick Street church of Christ in Dublin, TX . Her husband is the pulpit minister and evangelist. Erynn is a stay at home, homeschooling mom to their six children: five young knights-in-training and one sweet princess. They are 2003 graduates of the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver. Erynn is the creator and a regular contributor form Come Fill Your Cup.

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