Learning to Say No
Dear Friends, Jason and I have a niece who is 19 months old. One word that she can say very clearly is "No!" It's a word that toddlers soon learn. Yet, for many of us, something happens in our growing up years which makes saying "No" very hard. At least, it has been for me. Some would say that "Sorry" is the hardest word, but I have actually found the word "No" much harder! It has only been in recent years that I've been able to say "No" more. This was once I understood why I had such difficulty with the word. I have grown up within a strong church culture where there was an emphasis on serving others. The acronym 'J-O-Y' was often referred to when I was growing up - at least I felt that it was - it was a constant reminder that J esus came first in my life, then O thers , and finally Y ourself . But I was so caught up in making sure that others came before me that I actually didn't have t...