We are not meant to be helpless, mindless creatures. God has given us free will, and we should see this as a gift that enables us to make decisions in the here and now that inform our future. This is why it’s important for us to understand the power of a well-discerned “no.”  As we invite the Holy Spirit to help us decide what should receive our focus, let’s realize saying “yes” to something is going to require saying “no” to something else, but these are impactful in a positive way when we give these “yesses” and “nos” from a place of intentionality. We end up experiencing freedom instead of feeling chained.