Different people expect different things from us. And when a lot of people are expecting things from us, those expectations can build up like a mountain and bury us. We can end up feeling totally overwhelmed, and unable to meet any of them. The Bible says: ‘Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body’ (vv.4-5 NLT). We want people to be pleased with us, but we must also realise that they can have unrealistic expectations and sometimes selfish ones. But, even when we know and understand that, we can struggle to say no for a number of reasons: 1) Fear of people. We want to be loved and we are afraid of being rejected. 2) Pride. Sometimes we can think that we’re able to take on more than we can actually handle. We overestimate our abilities, and think we’re the best person for the task. 3) Not knowing God’s will for us. Jesus said, ‘I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will’ (John 5:30 NLT). We must know God’s will and be committed to it; otherwise, people will be able to impose their will and agenda on us. 4) Trying to be like someone else. When this is our reason, we need to remember that ‘we have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.’ We should avoid comparing ourselves to others. God’s got a unique plan for each of us. We’re not called to meet everybody’s expectations. Once we realise that, some of the pressure can be taken off and we can be more in tune with what God’s calling us to do.

What Now?

Next time someone asks you to do something, take a few minutes to ask God whether you should say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.