This weekend is the annual big event at my church where we have our Christmas program repeated multiple times from Friday evening through Saturday afternoon. While four performances is significant, it is nowhere near the time commitment of some previous years when under different leadership and with a different focus we had as many as 20+ performances spread over a couple of weeks. That previous pace was killer for those involved and came not-so-affectionately to be known as “The Tree That Ate Christmas.” The current schedule is still demanding for those involved, but doesn’t leave one completely exhausted, so kudos to the current music leadership for changes in the right direction.
While I have only been among the choir or on-stage participants for this event a few years over the last 25+, all of the other years I have served in some capacity, usually on the tech crew where I operated a spotlight or TV camera. I think my favorite place of service has been on a spotlight because it gives me the chance to climb up to the top of scaffolding near the rafters of this giant, gorgeous old sanctuary and get a bird’s eye view of it all.
This year, however, I said no when asked to help out. That felt odd because I haven’t said that for this event in over a quarter of a century. The reasons for my answer are not the purpose of this post, so I’ll pass on explaining why. The fact that I lived through saying no is the point.
Some always say yes to requests because they want to satisfy others, or they don’t want to disappoint anyone, or they feel obligated, or they fear what might happen if they say no, or they feel like they are only valuable as a person if they are constantly busy, or perhaps a myriad of other reasons. It’s important, though, to know your limits and to know what is healthy and what is not, and to say no when it seems like the best thing to do, even if it is something you have said yes to many times before.
Leap year lesson #341 is Say “yes” to saying “no.”
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