Learning to Say "NO"

On Tuesday of this past week, my co-teacher asked me to teach two extra after-school classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00-8:30 pm at another middle school. (I'm already teaching two after school classes on Tuesdays and Fridays at my school). With the additional T & TH classes she asked me to teach, I would have the potential to make a significant amount of extra cash for each week... also, I'd be working with advanced students and I'd only have to prepare one lesson for each night. Definitely a great opportunity...

After spending a night thinking and praying about it... I said NO.

On Thursday, my vice principal asked me to start teaching a class every other Saturday.

I said NO.

Although I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunities... and could definitely use the extra cash, I just didn't have peace about taking them. Over the past few weeks, I've been feeling a bit over-committed with things at school & church and was beginning to wonder how I'd be able to fit time for PEOPLE in my schedule throughout the week. If I took the extra classes, I would have a very limited amount of room left in my schedule for "margin" and people.

Also, we've been talking about living with an eternal perspective in small group lately. While working to earn an income is certainly NOT wrong, I just felt like my heart wasn't right in taking the extra load. I've really been sensing the need to have more "margin" in my life... to have time and space to invest in eternal things, rather than temporal.

It's SO easy to slip into the flurry of activity and being busy for me... especially in Korea! As I was turning down these extra teaching opportunities this week, I was reminded that I live in a culture so different from my own! My co-teachers (most of whom are married and have children) are teaching after-school classes twice a week until 10/11 pm!!! I can't imagine being a wife and mother and being at school for that long! Even as a single woman, the prospect of 8 extra teaching hours made me feel stressed... Koreans are definitely CRAZY about education. No doubt about it.

Thankfully, I don't have to conform to the culture. I'm learning to pray for a Mary's heart in a Martha's world (I think my mom used to have a book with this title). I'm learning to say no and take steps of faith, trusting that the Lord will continue to provide for my every need in His perfect time...

Lord, you are more precious than silver
Lord, you are more costly than gold
Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares with you!