Saying no to people has always been hard for me.
As a teenager I had a part-time job, volunteered at church and a hospital, was involved in the student body council, was on the honor roll, and took all the AP classes and tests that I could gobble up. This looks great when you’re applying to college, but it was eating me up on the inside.
There were many nights that I didn’t get home from school till 9pm, would stay up till 2am doing homework, then get up at 5am to have a quiet time, rinse, and repeat the cycle again. I was a walking zombie (that was back before zombies were cool).
I remember one day bending over backwards to get something fixed for one of our volunteer leaders. I thought he would appreciate my work.
When I went to tell that I had fixed it for him all he said was, “I could care less. Where’s my coffee?”
My heart sank.
Since then I’ve become better at saying no.
Saying “no” to some things allows you to say “yes” to the important things.
This week think about what you’re saying yes to.
Is saying yes to that appointment REALLY worth missing dinner with your family?
Is saying yes to that HUGE one-time summer event REALLY worth taking time away from programs that people come to more often?
Is saying yes to that midweek program REALLY worth the extra time, staff, and money it’ll cost or should we just focus on making the weekend better?
Is saying yes to that speaking engagement REALLY worth the time away from the office?
Is saying yes to that late night show REALLY worth missing time with God in the morning?
Is saying yes to ______________ REALLY worth _________________?
Question: What do you need to say no to this week? You can leave your comments in the section below.
Jeff McClung 