Day 22: Say No

Several years ago I sat in a friend’s living room listening to our other friend talk to our group about living simply.

My friend who did the talking(who by the way co-founded Take Them A Meal) is someone who naturally exudes peace.  She speaks calmly.  Her children are tame.  When I’m in her home, I feel the pace of my heart begin to slow.  I’m not kidding.  Something about her just seems so peaceful.  I realize how amped up I am when I spend time with her.

When she spoke on simplifying life, something she said really stuck.  She said something like this, “I want to create enough space in my life so that when a friend unexpectedly calls and asks me to watch her children, I can do that.”

Hmmm, that is an interesting concept.  Who has that kind of margin in their lives?  At that stage of my life, I rarely had that kind of availability.  I felt that my days were packed full and we couldn’t possibly fit in the unexpected occurrences.

She got me thinking though.  Margin doesn’t just happen.  We have to create it.  Like many things in life, if we want it to happen, we have to be intentional in setting the stage.

If I wanted margin, I needed to learn to say no.  I needed to realize that my plate would continue to be stacked if I didn’t say, “I’m full, no more please.”

I watched my friend live her life this way.  There were many things she said no to that were uncomfortable for her.  But for the peace of her family and for the availability she wanted to be able to offer to give of herself to others, she said no to things she might have wanted to say yes to.

What are some things you may need to say no to in order to create margin in your days?

[box] This is Day 22 in a series, 31 Days to Get Uncomfortable With God. Please click here for a listing of all posts in this series. If you would like posts delivered to your inbox, please click here.[/box]