Have you had a busy week? I know I have.
Parenting. Plans to be made for the future. Phone calls. All the things. Not to mention the daily stuff like doing the dishes, the laundry and sorting the mail (no matter how hard I try both of these are always in to-do piles in our house)
With whatever busy has been on your plate, today I'm wondering how are you living it without feeling tired or overextended ALL THE TIME?
Enter into the conversation, today's word: No. No: the act of or instance of refusing.
When someone asks you to do something that you don't have time to do or don't want to do, you can always just say no. I know I am not offering you rocket science this morning, yet why do so many of us struggle with "no"?
I think it has something to do with the fact that no can feel unkind. No can feel rude. No can feel selfish. We believe we HAVE TO DO certain things to be a good member of our family, community or church. But giving a "YES" when you really want to say "NO" gives gifts that you might not intend. Gifts like jealousy, anger and resentment.
I love going back to these words of Jesus who taught: "Let your yes, be yes and your no be no." (Matthew 5:37).
It's a great reminder that there's not an explanation needed for all your choices, and that the best kind of living you can do is with your whole heart.
No is a complete sentence.
Let's practice. Say it aloud, "No"
Even if there's no one to take your place . . . Even if you feel terrible about letting someone down . . . Even if your laundry doesn't get folded today. You can say no.
The good news about every "No" you give is that it frees up room in your schedule for the right "Yes!"
The yes of relationships that bring you joy.
The yes of activities that fill you up.
The yes of work that helps you inspire others and bring more good to the world. I know I want more of this like of "yes" in my life, don't you?
So today I want you to think about what can you say no to this week. Tell a friend about your "no" to keep you accountable if you need to. Plan and practice saying no. Then, get ready! The freedom of this no is going to bring you a very awesome YES!
Have a wonderful week-
XO
Elizabeth
