Just Say Yes
If you read my earlier post about saying no, you might be shaking your head in disbelief as you read this one. There is power in being able to say no. There is also power in a yes. Read on!
Years ago, the Lord allowed me to quit nursery duty in our church. Praise God! However, when I tried to quit Children's Church, on more than one occassion I might add, He wouldn't allow it. The longer I worked, the more the list of helpers dwindled. This meant I had to work in Children's Church more often. Ugh!
So, my pastor, who knew I was disgruntled, did the "natural" thing. He asked me to coordinate Children's Church. What????? He thought I was perfect for the job. Obviously, he didn't know me very well. (More than likely, they just couldn't come up with anyone else to ask.) In my mind, I was the last person that should be asked. My organizational skills are close to 0.
He was crafty about it, however, reminding me that if I were the scheduler, I could unschedule myself. Slick! He also threw in some compliments. Nice! But I wasn't buying it.
I knew right away that I wouldn't take myself off of the schedule. I won't ask someone else to do something I refuse to do. Besides, I already knew, coordinator or not, God hadn't let me off the hook.
I clearly was not interested in this job. Furthermore, I didn't think it was a good use of my gifts and talents. Nevertheless, because I had never actually had the pastor personally ask me to do something, I said yes, with the caveat that I wasn't sure I'd be taking the position for very long.
In keeping with my personality, I dove right into the assignment. I decided the longer the list of helpers, the better. The more people, the less time I have to serve. My goal was to have married couples as much as possible. I gave a list of possibilities for teaching for eldership approval. I went after men no one had dared to ask before. I got very few rejections.
The job is a pain in my backside. People tell me they are going on vacation rather than try to switch with someone else like they are supposed to do. People quit. Summer is particularly trying. But guess what, I've recently discovered that in some convoluted way, I actually like the job, particulary the challenge of recruiting new people.
Maybe the pastor knew what he was doing after all.
Years ago, the Lord allowed me to quit nursery duty in our church. Praise God! However, when I tried to quit Children's Church, on more than one occassion I might add, He wouldn't allow it. The longer I worked, the more the list of helpers dwindled. This meant I had to work in Children's Church more often. Ugh!
So, my pastor, who knew I was disgruntled, did the "natural" thing. He asked me to coordinate Children's Church. What????? He thought I was perfect for the job. Obviously, he didn't know me very well. (More than likely, they just couldn't come up with anyone else to ask.) In my mind, I was the last person that should be asked. My organizational skills are close to 0.
He was crafty about it, however, reminding me that if I were the scheduler, I could unschedule myself. Slick! He also threw in some compliments. Nice! But I wasn't buying it.
I knew right away that I wouldn't take myself off of the schedule. I won't ask someone else to do something I refuse to do. Besides, I already knew, coordinator or not, God hadn't let me off the hook.
I clearly was not interested in this job. Furthermore, I didn't think it was a good use of my gifts and talents. Nevertheless, because I had never actually had the pastor personally ask me to do something, I said yes, with the caveat that I wasn't sure I'd be taking the position for very long.
In keeping with my personality, I dove right into the assignment. I decided the longer the list of helpers, the better. The more people, the less time I have to serve. My goal was to have married couples as much as possible. I gave a list of possibilities for teaching for eldership approval. I went after men no one had dared to ask before. I got very few rejections.
The job is a pain in my backside. People tell me they are going on vacation rather than try to switch with someone else like they are supposed to do. People quit. Summer is particularly trying. But guess what, I've recently discovered that in some convoluted way, I actually like the job, particulary the challenge of recruiting new people.
Maybe the pastor knew what he was doing after all.
Comments
Post a Comment