Free to Say 'No'
Free to Say ‘No’
“And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, ‘Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all” Luke 21:1-3
Our culture perpetuates a couple of ideas, I propose, that we need to be freed from this Christmas season.
1. We can not turn down invitations.
2. We must be busy or we are lazy.
3. The size of the gift and the amount of money you spend show how much you care.
This Christmas season, I propose, we free ourselves from these ideas with a little truth:
1. It is perfectly okay to say “No” to an invitation. Furthermore, you can politely decline without giving a reason for why you are declining.
2. You don’t have to be exhausted and go with no sleep or rest to fully enjoy the Christmas season.
3. It is my experience that people are touched when you take the time to make them a personal homemade gift.
However, don’t just take my word for it. We can see in scripture numerous times where Jesus took time to be away by himself. In Mark 1, Jesus had the whole city waiting at the door for Him. Instead of accepting the invitation of all the people at the door, Jesus did this…
“Rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Mark 1:35
Then another time, Jesus did this…
“He went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God” Luke 6:12
Lastly, in Luke 21:1-3, Jesus used the example of the widow’s mite to show it isn’t about the amount of money but the heart.
Dear Father, may our Christmas season be free of the pressures of our culture and focused on the manger and the babe who came to earth…our Jesus. In His name, Amen.
Written by Dawn Whitmore
“And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, ‘Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all” Luke 21:1-3
Our culture perpetuates a couple of ideas, I propose, that we need to be freed from this Christmas season.
1. We can not turn down invitations.
2. We must be busy or we are lazy.
3. The size of the gift and the amount of money you spend show how much you care.
This Christmas season, I propose, we free ourselves from these ideas with a little truth:
1. It is perfectly okay to say “No” to an invitation. Furthermore, you can politely decline without giving a reason for why you are declining.
2. You don’t have to be exhausted and go with no sleep or rest to fully enjoy the Christmas season.
3. It is my experience that people are touched when you take the time to make them a personal homemade gift.
However, don’t just take my word for it. We can see in scripture numerous times where Jesus took time to be away by himself. In Mark 1, Jesus had the whole city waiting at the door for Him. Instead of accepting the invitation of all the people at the door, Jesus did this…
“Rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Mark 1:35
Then another time, Jesus did this…
“He went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God” Luke 6:12
Lastly, in Luke 21:1-3, Jesus used the example of the widow’s mite to show it isn’t about the amount of money but the heart.
Dear Father, may our Christmas season be free of the pressures of our culture and focused on the manger and the babe who came to earth…our Jesus. In His name, Amen.
Written by Dawn Whitmore
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