Do you ever feel like you are becoming your own toxic frazzled mess due to time restraints, over commitment to good people, places and projects, or being off-balance from interacting with difficult people?

I am not a person who likes to say, “No” when asked to do something and most of the time I know I can do, organize or delegate what is asked of me. If I know I don’t have the ability it is easy to say, “No, I am not able to help with that request.”

The last few years I have worked on protecting my time, my rest, my family and my sanity.

I am learning to say, “I’ll think about it”.

Sometimes I respond, “I’ll pray about it and get back to you.”

When appropriate I’ll kindly reply, “I’ll think about it and pray about it.”

But most often I’m finding myself answering, “If I say yes to you, or to this request, I will be saying no to my family.”

This isn’t an excuse to say no to everything or to find an easy way out; it is a necessary tool for running my household, loving and serving my family, and preserving my physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

I can’t keep saying no to my family. When I become overly stressed, overly tired, or overly committed I am not caring for my family and in essence I am saying, “No,” to their needs.

 

Proverbs 31:28-29 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

 

I know my life is off-balance when I cannot find any fruit in my actions, thoughts or day.

 

Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.