Just Say No

“Let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay.” James 5:12b (KJV) It’s hard for me to say “No.” When I say “No” I feel guilty. I feel like I have to make excuses and explain why I can’t do something, and I need to apologize. When the minister of our church said he wanted to paint his house and needed volunteers to help him, I volunteered to help. I had expected about a dozen church members to show up, but I was the only one. His house was a small two-bedroom house. We started painting, and then he received a call and said he had to leave. I ended up painting the entire house alone—it took a week. I spent 10 days taking care of the neighbor’s cat while she visited friends in Utah. She said the cat was litter box trained. It wasn’t. The cat was nervous, meowed constantly for its owner, and rarely used the litter box. When the neighbor returned, I didn’t tell her about her cat, but the next time she asked me to take care of her cat I told her I was expecting company. I lied. I know I shouldn’t have. I couldn’t bring myself to be honest with her, and I couldn’t just say “No.” She never spoke to me again. The list is endless. I have allowed people to take advantage of me for years, partly because I felt it was my Christian duty to help other people, and partly because I didn’t have the courage to say “No” to anyone who asked for my help. I don’t regret the things I’ve done wrong as much as I regret the things I did right for the wrong reasons. It took me years to learn that sometimes it is alright to say “No.” Lord, give me the courage to say “No” when it is the right answer. – Crying Wind   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org