“Should I Do It, Or Not”

How should we respond to requests or opportunities or invitations that come our way? That sounds like a pretty simple question. But now that I’m older and officially retired, I can find myself in a quandary at times when asked to do something or go somewhere. I don’t have the energy  I used to have and even things I used to jump to do, seem to be a bit of a challenge. Hmmmmm. The standard criteria that I’ve been trying to follow is  “If there’s not a good reason to say NO, then say YES.” Sounds pretty simple, but even that doesn’t resolve some of my indecision. 

If the issue at hand involves substantial time or commitment, I generally need to go a step further. What does the Lord have to say about the issue at hand… is there something he wants me to do…. do I have a “mission” to accomplish… if I said NO, would it make a difference? So for minor things, the discernment can move pretty quickly, e.g. “can you pick me up at the car repair place, can you pick up some hotdogs at the store, do you want to hit a bucket of golf balls at the driving range…. if there’s not a good reason I can’t do it, i.e. a good reason to say NO, then I will say yes. Okay, so far, so good.

Here’s where it can get a little tricky. What if the decision does require some substantial time or money or emotional energy, some cost… what if I don’t “feel like doing it?” Yesterday’s BLOG quoted St. John Bosco saying, “Whatever you do, think of the Glory of God as your main goal.”  Does God want me to do this particular thing ? Is there something God wants me to bring to the situation…. am I suppose to encourage someone I will be meeting… will I learn something that I will need in my life down the road?  In the past I’ve said NO to attending a particular meeting, to going on a particular trip, to taking a certain course ….and I have regretted it; “gee, I should have gone…I wish I had gone. I missed something important or I could have helped the time to be better for those who did go.

We are called to be servants of the Lord, “ to do what he wants us to do….to go where he wants us to go”. We must be alert to his directions. Karol Wojtyła (St. John Paul II) prayed every morning, asking the Holy Spirit to show me how to think, when to speak, how to speak, when to be quiet, help me to “begin, continue, and finish” my work well. It all really matters. We need to hear the Lord in order to serve his great purposes for our life and others.

So Lord help us to discern wisely what you want us to do… big and little things. Help us to know when to say YES and to say NO. And may the Glory of God always be our Main Goal.