When it hurts to say "No"

Galatians 1:10 (NIV)  Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. 

Are you a people-pleaser?  Do you go out of your way, inconvenience yourself to an unhealthy degree, so that others will like you?  You know your behavior is unhealthy when your stomach does flip-flops when you say "no" to someone.  Sound familiar to you?  When we were children, this was called peer pressure or guilt-tripping. When carried into adulthood, it becomes emotionally crippling and we feel our life is not our own.

The good news is that we don't have to live like this. By sticking close to God, reading His Word and coming to an understanding of just what is our responsibility and what isn't-is priceless.  The first time you say no to someone you really don't want to spend time with, you will feel free. Those times when it isn't clear if you should enter into a situation you don't feel good about, pray.

I find the more I turn everyday situations over to God, the easier the decisions become and more peace fills me after having done so.  But, there are those times God wants us to act, to help, to walk alongside, to get dirty and be uncomfortable.  Those times He will make it clear if you seek Him.  Ask the Galatians 1:10 question, "Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God?"

For some of us it takes a lifetime to change from a people-pleaser to a God-pleaser. It is worth it once we experience the changed heart and new outlook.

Galatians 1