I Meant to Say ‘No’

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

The kingdom of God is full of opportunities to serve. Volunteers are always needed, and our hearts often overrule our heads and we find ourselves saying, “Yes, sign me up!” Serving is good, but sometimes our eagerness leads us into exhaustion because it’s hard to say ‘no’. Before we know it, we’re down the road of commitment to half a dozen different things, running on empty and wondering if we’ve failed because we can’t keep up.

God has a work for us to do, a work that He has prepared, but if we are saying ‘yes’ to everything that comes along, we might be missing the actual path He intended for us to walk. There will be times, of course, that if we can help, we should help, but we should also be realistic and sensible about what we can physically and mentally achieve. When we take on everything that’s going, we burn out. God calls us to faithfulness, not fatigue.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. Proverbs 19:21

Trusting the Lord in all of our ways means surrendering not only our actions but also our limits. It means acknowledging Him in our decisions and asking Him to guide us in stepping up, as well as stepping down. When we trust God to take the lead, we are trusting the one who knows where our capabilities are most needed.

Serving the kingdom is not about doing it all; it’s about doing what God has called us to, with joy and strength. If we trust Him, He will direct us to the right opportunities, and gives us the ability, and peace, to say ‘no’ when needed. In this way, our service becomes sustainable, Spirit‑led, and fruitful.

Ask the Lord to guide you in your commitments and trust Him to guide your steps and your stops, so that in everything that you do, He is glorified.