Your Turn to Talk, Campus Life Magazine

I'm very active in my church and my school. The problem is, my life is getting so crowded, I hardly have any free time. But I have a hard time saying no when someone asks me to help out with something. How can I learn to say no and get my life back?

I can relate well to having so many activities with school and church that I end up working from dawn till dusk and running out of time to spend doing anything else. I think that sometimes we need to remember the age-old saying, "stop and smell the roses."
It's wonderful to be an active servant of the Lord and to give yourself away to serve others. Remember that NOTHING you do for the Him is a waste of time or effort. "Throw yourselves into the work of the Lord, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort." (1 Corinthians 15:58, The Message) Do not become weary in doing good.
On the other hand, "It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night for God gives rest to his loved ones." (Psalm 127:2, NIV). If we work ourselves ragged, ending up with too much on our plates and no time to stop and smell the roses, we are much more vulnerable and lose heart and strength. It is important to stop and savor the peace that God gives to His children, to be still and know that He is Lord. When we are weary and worn, even with doing work for the Lord, it is easier for us to fall prey to temptation. God loves us and does not want to abuse us or for us to abuse ourselves.
Remember the story of Mary and Martha? Martha busied herself with cooking and cleaning while Mary came and knelt to spend time with her Master. Be a Mary, make sure that all of your activities and projects don't prevent you from taking time out to spend one-on-one with the Father. When you are weary, God wants you to stop and run to Him. Sometimes it means saying "no." Get away with the Father and you'll recover your life. Learn to live lightly and freely by the "rhythm of grace" (Matthew 11, The Message).