John 17:4 NIV
When we’re not sure what God wants us to be doing, or we’re worried about saying no to others, we can end up taking on lots of different things. We start on a task, and then find something else to do which distracts us from the original thing. We say yes to everything we’re asked to do, even if it’s not really something we’re skilled in, or even if it doesn’t fit with what God’s called us to do. It’s really important to remember that we can’t do everything. If we take on too much, we can become overwhelmed and ineffective. Instead, we need to ask God for wisdom to know what we should say yes to. We also need to remember that God doesn’t want us to be trapped by people-pleasing. If we’re always doing what other people want us to do, then we’re putting the demands of others above the call of God. Sometimes it’s worth looking at it from a different perspective. We can ask ourselves, ‘If I say yes to this, am I stopping someone else from fulfilling their purpose?’ We need to consider whether God’s calling someone else to do it. God’s made us all with different skills and purposes, just like our body parts have different functions. The Bible says: ‘God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?’ (1 Corinthians 12:18-19 NIV). We need to be focused on our own calling, rather than becoming distracted by other opportunities. Jesus said: ‘I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.’ And we can glorify God by focusing on the things He’s given us to do too. What Now? Next time someone asks you to do something, take a while to pray about whether it’s something God wants you to do, or whether it’ll actually be a distraction.