WORD OF GOD FOR TODAY

Enjoy Your Journey Part 4

Though to say No might sometimes be difficult but happy people are never afraid to say No when they need to do so. Let today mark a new beginning for you. Give yourself permission to say NO without feeling guilty, mean, or selfish. Anybody who gets upset and/or expects you to say YES all of the time clearly doesn't have your best interest at heart. Always remember: You have a right to sav NO without having to explain yourself. Be at peace with your decisions. Happy people give themselves permission to take the day off and they feel comfortable with saying "no when their stress levels begin to climb. You are not committing crime when you perfect the act of saying No because it is within your right to do so if necessary without an apology to anyone. Whether they're family or friends, manipulators are difficult to escape from. Give in to their demands and they'll be happy enough, but if you develop a spine and start saying no, it will inevitably bring a fresh round of head games and emotional blackmail. You'll notice that breaking free from someone else's dominance will often result in them accusing you of being selfish. Yes, you're selfish, because you've stopped doing what they want you to do for them.

Love yourself enough to be firm because that is what happy people do. Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won't accept. Many survivors have such profound deficiencies in self-protection that they can barely imagine themselves in a position of agency or choice. The idea of saying no to the emotional demands of a parent, spouse, lover or authority figure may be practically inconceivable. Thus, it is not uncommon to find adult survivors who continue to minister to the needs of those who once abused them and who continue to permit major intrusions without boundaries or limits. Adult survivors may nurse their abusers in illness, defend them in adversity, and even, in extreme cases, continue to submit to their sexual demands. Judith Lewi lerman

Wise Saying

We must say "no to what, in our heart, we don't want

Refreshing daily devotional by Dr. Steve and Pastor Honour Adewole

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