Five Reasons Why You Should Say “No”
A few weeks ago, I wrote you a letter about being fired from our church - a very loving moment where my husband “let me go” because he knew I needed margin and peace back in my life.
That struck a chord with many of you, as did this post from Go and Tell Gals.
We’re a generation exhausted, overwhelmed, and way past extended. Yet, we have more opportunities offered to us every single day than past generations could even imagine (or have nightmares about) - so we have to learn to say no.
If you’re weighing out whether or not something needs to be a “no,” here are five GREAT reasons you should say no. Check for these in your soul + life:
You should say “no” if you're only saying “yes” to get the approval of others.
You should say “no” if you're going to show up bitter.
You should say “no” if you think saying “yes” will make God love you more.
You should say “no” if you’d only say “yes” to prove a point.
You should say “no” if you believe you have to because no one else will say “yes”.
Now here are the reasons why:
You aren’t going to worship people for eternity; you’re going to worship God. People pleasing isn’t cute. It’s glorified idol worship. See Galatians 1:10 for reference.
If saying “yes” will cause you to show up but show up bitter and frustrated - that’s not a healthy, worshipful yes. Say no. Save yourself and others the heartache.
God literally cannot love you any more than He already does. This is the Good News, the gospel that we base our lives around as followers of Jesus. So you can bet your “no” on Him still loving you.
Similarly to showing up bitter, showing up in pride is often way more damaging than just saying no in the first place.
Lastly…the only voice that will constantly tell you that you’re on the hook and responsible for everyone is the enemy. Jesus will remind you that He is the hero. He is the Savior. Also - your burdened “yes” could be costing someone else a worshipful “yes”. Say no and make space for them.
I pray this has blessed you. Let’s say a worshipful, bold, brave no when the time is right - so all our answers of yes can be in response to God. Amen?
Amen!
Jess