31 Days of 5-Minute Free-Writes

Day 15: When

To this day I remember the look on my friend Kathy’s face when she asked me to take part in a certain program at church, and I said no. The way her eyes bugged out, you would have thought I had just uttered a horrific curse word. But the sad truth is she, and everyone else in the church, had grown so accustomed to my saying yes to everything, she was completely blind-sided by my refusal. “Angela, when did you learn to say ‘no’?” And for the record, there were others more qualified than I to do the task. I wasn’t leaving her without options.

Today, on Day 15 of my baby-book shower for Reflections of a Mother’s Heart, I have what some may consider a peculiar question, when it comes to writing: “When is it time to say no?”

“A need is not a calling.”

Some time ago on social media I saw an inspirational photo with the following quote: “Saying yes to everything doesn’t make you Wonder Woman; it makes you a worn-out woman.” Trust me when I say I’ve been there. Chances are you have too. After all, the Type-A personality seems a dominant trait among the human race. But with all our hustle-bustle, can we truly say that we are making progress in the things that matter? Or are we simply wearing ourselves out? The Bible compares life to a race, a race that is meant to be run in the field, not on a treadmill. We run as with a goal set before us, not merely for the sake of running.

And those of us who are “with child” [writing a book] must be especially careful to maintain balance in our lives. We must discern between that which God has called us to do and that which could—and should—be done by someone else. Otherwise we will burn out and be useful to no one.

Kate Motaung, host of Five-Minute Friday, has challenged us to 31 Days of Five-Minute Free Writes, in which we will explore the telling of our story. This isn’t the first such challenge of hers, but it is the first for me. Thank you for sharing it with me.

For a list of links to all my posts for this challenge, click here.

¹Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, part of the Deluxe Library Version 8.1 of StudyLamp Software: Broken Arrow, OK, 1995-2017.