It is important to realize that are times that it is okay to say no. In the church, it is common for people to ask for things or favors. Since so much of our time is spent in service it can be difficult to say no when someone asks a favor or needs help. However, it is important that you protect the time that you have with your family, as well as maintain a healthy balance for yourself.
So how do you decide when it is okay to say no? Really that will be an individual choice for you and your family. There are times when it is not a big deal to baby sit someone for a few hours, and times when it simply does not work for your family’s schedule. Saying no at these times is okay. Additionally you can consider saying no when it disrupts the time with your family too much, and too often. Also you may want to consider the reason that they are asking for help. If it is a true emergency, your response may be different as well.
On the other hand, it is also important to consider whether or not you are taking advantage of someone’s talents or abilities. It is one thing to ask someone to teach a short class on a subject for Enrichment night, but a different thing to ask someone to edit all of your photos for you for free. You need to consider time involved and skill level as well as how much time the activity would take the person to complete. If you are asking for a favor that would take more than an hour, you may need to rethink what you are asking.
Ultimately if you don’t feel comfortable doing something, or you know that you will feel resentful about the project, then it is most likely best to say no to the project. This will help you to keep your life balanced. It will also stop you from harboring hard feelings against others.
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