Why Do I Say YES?

I used to be pretty good at saying yes.

Need someone to help? Sure.

Need someone to take on another responsibility? I can do that.

Something I've never done before? No problem. I'll figure it out.

And for a while, I actually felt pretty good about it.

I was busy, productive, and useful. People could count on me. I was getting things done.

Until eventually, I burned out.

Looking back, I don't think the problem was simply that I was doing too much.

I think the bigger problem was why I was doing it.

I wanted to be useful. I wanted to be recognized. I wanted to know that I was capable of handling whatever came my way.

In some strange way, I thought doing more would make me a better person.

Nope. I was wrong.

And I wonder how often we do something similar without realizing it.

We volunteer, help others, take on responsibilities, and work hard. Often, these are genuinely good things.

But if we're honest with ourselves, how much of what we do is for others, and how much is to satisfy something within us?

That's a question I've had to ask myself.

Over the past few years, as I've spent more time reading the Bible, my understanding of serving has slowly been changing.

One thing I've noticed in the Gospels is how Jesus responded to the expectations of people around Him.

People were constantly looking for Him. They wanted healing, miracles, signs, and answers. Even His disciples sometimes had their own ideas about what He should do next.

In Mark 1, after Jesus had healed many people, His disciples came looking for Him.

"Everyone is looking for you," they told Him.

But Jesus didn't simply stay because everyone wanted Him there. He continued to other towns because He knew what He had come to do.

That really stayed with me.

Jesus wasn't trying to satisfy everyone's expectations. He was faithful to what His Father had sent Him to do.

And it made me think about how often I had allowed other people's expectations, or even my own desire to be useful, to determine what I should do.

These days, when an opportunity to serve comes up, I try not to automatically say yes.

I think about it. I pray about it.

Sometimes I say no.

But sometimes I say yes to something I have absolutely no idea how to do.

And that's been an interesting change.

It's not necessarily about taking on fewer responsibilities or choosing easier ones. Some of the things I've taken on have been difficult, unfamiliar, and well beyond what I felt qualified to handle.

The difference is that I'm no longer saying yes simply because I think I can make everything work.

I'm learning to be willing without needing to be in control.

I can learn. I can ask for help. I can make mistakes and grow.

And sometimes, despite my limitations, things come together in ways I couldn't have planned.

I see God's grace in those moments.

Not because everything turns out perfectly, but because I'm reminded that it was never entirely dependent on my abilities in the first place.

Interestingly, this change has also affected how I approach my real estate business.

In the past, I felt the need to pursue every opportunity and prove that I could handle whatever came my way.

These days, I'm more comfortable acknowledging when a particular client's needs may be better served by someone with different expertise.

Sometimes that means doing additional research or working with the right professionals. Other times, it means being honest that another Realtor may be a better fit.

And something interesting has happened.

Some clients still want to work with me. Others appreciate the honesty and ask for referrals. A few have even returned after speaking with other Realtors.

I've learned that being helpful doesn't mean having every answer or being the right person for everyone.

Sometimes the best way to serve someone is to recognize what they actually need, rather than trying to prove what I can do.

I'm still learning to approach both my work and my service with open hands.

Of course, that's easier said than done. I still have moments when I want things to go my way.

But the more time I spend in God's Word, the more I'm reminded that my relationship with God isn't built on how much I accomplish for Him.

It begins with what He's already done for me.

And that changes why I serve.

Not to earn His approval or prove that I'm capable, but out of gratitude for what He's already given me.

I wonder how different our decisions might look if we stopped asking only whether we're capable of doing something and started considering why we're doing it in the first place.

I still want to work hard. I still want to grow as a Realtor. I still want to serve my church and the people around me.

Some seasons may require more of me. Others may require less.

But I'm beginning to realize that the amount I accomplish isn't really the point.

Maybe I don't need to prove that I can do everything.

Maybe I just need to be willing to do what God places before me, and trust Him with the rest.