Don't be Afraid to Say "No"

Don’t be afraid to say “no”.  I’ve discovered I can’t do everything so I have to say “No” at times.  Sometimes I even have to say “no” to things I enjoy doing.



You have heard the saying, “Do what you do best and delegate the rest.”  I agree with this 100%.  There are some things I do really well and I need to focus on those things.  There are some things I can do but someone else can do them as well or even better than me.



What got me thinking about this topic today?  Mission trip!  We leave in just two days to go on a mission trip to Eleuthera.  So I had a plan of attack, a strategy in prepping for this trip.



My strategy was this: Finish all my mission trip plans and projects by seven days before the trip.  The last few days leading up to a mission trip (or any big event) can be very hectic.  Life seems to throw in curve balls at the last minute as well.  So my plan was to finish the week before so I      would have plenty of margin leading up to the trip.  To help me accomplish this  our weekly youth group gathering on Sunday night we simply went bowling while encouraging our students to bring an unchurched friend along as a way to introduce him/her to Student Church.  I also made sure the next two Student Churches after we return are organized and ready to go.

The last few days before a mission trip I’m making sure any loose ends are tied up, packing, making sure the team has their supplies, printing off all the boarding passes, getting a haircut all that busy pre trip stuffs.  I try to spend a little extra time with my family this week because I won’t be able to spend time with them during the mission week.  Without fail someone will come along this week and ask me to do something that can either wait or something that someone else can take care of.  So this week more than any I have to be able to say, “No”.  How does that sound?



“As much as I would like to do that I have a very busy schedule this week preparing for the mission trip and I’m also spending some extra time with my family since I’ll be gone from them for a week.  I hope you understand.  No, I can’t do ___________.  Thanks for thinking of me and thanks for understanding.”

Am I going to write another blog post this week?  No.

Giving away toothbrushes and floss at the park outreach in 2015