Learning to Say No

I used to hate the word no. It felt selfish and negative, so I became the queen of yes. Need a volunteer? Yes. Another project? Yes. My calendar looked like it was on steroids.

Eventually, I slammed into a wall with a giant red YES painted on it. I was exhausted, unfulfilled, and running on autopilot. The joy God gives was buried under stress, guilt, and too many commitments.

In her book The Best Yes, Lysa TerKeurst says, “A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.”

I learned that saying no creates space to breathe, to be present, and to actually hear God. Now I focus on quality over quantity, giving my best yes to Him.

And saying no? It’s not so bad… unless it’s to more ice cream. That’s still a yes every time.