Saying Yes Means Saying No

Confession…I can’t do it all.

I’ve tried, but it rarely works.

If, by chance, it looks like I’m doing it all—don’t be fooled. I’m completely stressed out and miserable. Not exactly worth “doing it all.”

So, I have to be honest with myself.

As much as I would like it to be different, I only have so much time and energy.

There are decisions to be made.

If I spend my day shopping at the mall, I won’t be home to clean the house.

If I decide cleaning the house is my priority, I won’t be able to watch a movie with my daughter.

Saying “yes” to one, means saying “no” to another.

The same holds true when we’re pursuing God-sized dreams.
God-sized Dream = A desire in your heart for more of what God has for you. ~Holley Gerth
Opportunities present themselves and we have to discern which will move us forward and which will not.

It won’t be easy. After all, who wants to turn down an opportunity?

I know I didn’t…but I had to.

I recently received three invitations. Two were to write guest blog posts to be online in March, and one was to co-host an (in)RL Meetup (a local gathering for a world-wide conference) in April.

I wanted to take them all on. But I knew I couldn’t.

I had to ask myself…what could I realistically commit my time to, and which of the three choices could I accomplish to the best of my ability?

Writing is where I feel God leading me, so I gladly accepted both writing projects.

But it was co-hosting the (in)RL Meetup that I needed to think and pray about. It would take time to plan and coordinate—time I really don’t have, unless I take it from other areas, like family and writing.

I had to decline, which was graciously accepted with understanding. 

Saying “yes” to the writing projects meant I had to say “no” to co-hosting.

It was the decision I had to make because I know I can’t do it all…and I’m okay with admitting that.

When has saying “yes” to something meant you had to say “no” to something else?

In Christ,
Laura


26 comments:

  1. Thank you for this. There are times when I need to learn to say "no" more often so that I can say "yes" more often (does that make sense?).

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  2. .... i love this reminder .. thank you so much laura.. and i love your writings.. it clearly is where God has gifted you so I can't wait to read what you post! blessings

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    1. Jenn, you made me smile. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement! God bless!

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  3. Appreciate this honest and wonderful share and reminder. It is true. ANd I have been pondering the yesses and nos that need to be made in order to do His will.

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    1. I'm praying for you Dawn. God is going to lead you through this.
      Blessings,
      Laura

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  4. Oh girl, I seem to say yes to everything. My life is filled to overflowing and yet I still find cracks and crevices to squeeze things into. I need to learn to put up boundaries. By saying "no" opens a door for the yes of God, that which He truly desires us to do.

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    1. Somewhere in those open cracks and crevices we're trying to fill, we need to remember to take care of ourselves too. I think boundaries help us do that. Blessings Barbie!

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  5. Isn't that so hard? Especially as you start answering God's call on your life, because these can be things you almost can't turn down (like the (in)RL request). Ahhh, living out our dreams is not for the weak I suppose. It's sounds like you are finding an excellent balance!

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    1. I agree,I don't want to turn down something that may be in God's plans for me, but at the same time, maybe it's just not for right now. Saying no doesn't mean never, but maybe just no for right now.

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  6. This is so true, Laura. Just because an opportunity looks good at the time, it might not be the best thing for me in this particular season of my life. I need to ask God for discernment in when to say "no".

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  7. Probably one of the hardest things for me is to say that no...I'm too much of a people-pleaser. :) Thank you for the reminder that it's not a bad thing to turn something down in order to focus on other things that should take priority. Great post...thank you so much for sharing! :)

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  8. Life is very much a balancing act for me- and a very tenous one at times. I finally got to the place where I realized I was doing so many things but none of them to excellence. Learning the art of saying no has been liberating for me! Thanks for the reminder.

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    1. I'm with you Kimberly. Learning to discern and say no is freeing, not only for me, but for the other person who isn't left waiting on me. God bless!

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  9. I find myself almost afraid i will miss something if I say no. Once I realized it was fear more than passion in some of my decisions, it became easier to say no. That was an interesting insight to my mind. good reminder here!

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    1. Fear of missing something and also fear of what someone will think if we say no--two determining factors that often get us in over our heads. Thanks Jean!

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  10. Love what you shared here, Laura. Discernment is tough sometimes.... thanks for reminding me that it's important to slow down and pray through. -- And thanks for stopping by my blog this week. xoxo

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  11. This is such a great post - so needed for us - (especially us women... us master multi-taskers!) There is freedom in saying No - and Balance! Thanks for the reminder!

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  12. Hi Laura, I know what you mean. Fortunately I have no problem saying no, lol! But sometimes I say yes for the wrong reasons and well, then the consequences can be tough. Great post, great advice
    God bless and thanks for linking up my friend
    Tracy

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  13. Ha! So timely for me to read, Laura. Learning this very lesson. Thank you!

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  14. I have had a hard time saying "no" in the past, but I realized that when I take on too many commitments, my family suffers greatly -- my relationship with God, too. I've learned that good doesn't mean best.

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  15. This is so true! And a good way to think about things. What I'm doing right now - blogging and visiting online require that I say "no" to other activities. It is good to be mindful of that choice.

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  16. {hug} I had to make a similar choice. Thank you for sharing your story!
    - jenni from Holley's WLW group on FB, http://www.StrokeOfGrace.blogspot.com

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  17. Thank you for sharing this post over at WholeHearted Home. This was really, really such a good post!!

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  18. This is a lesson I need to keep learning. Cheering for you, Laura! :-)

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