Discerning the Difference Between a Good Opportunity and God’s Will

Denise Jelinek helps Catholic women discern God’s will by choosing His direction over good opportunities, so their yes serves Him first.

We’ve all heard the verse: “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’” (Matthew 5:37).

But in real life, there’s often a third answer.

Sometimes the answer is simply:

“Not now.”

Recently, the Lord showed me something I can only describe as a holy “not now.”

And honestly … that one can be the hardest to receive.

Because here’s the challenge of being a Catholic woman:

So many things in your life are good.

They’re fruitful.
They help people.
They serve the Church.
They bring joy.

Because of that, the question usually isn’t:

“Is this good?”

The real question becomes:

“Is this what God wants for me right now?”

And that is a much harder thing to discern.

I Loved Doing It ... But Was It the Right Thing, Right Now?

Last week, I finished a big project for a local parish.

The feedback from the women who participated was incredible. Many of them encountered God’s love in a very personal and profound way.

The space this project created allowed the Lord to move in their lives.

It was AMAZING! It was fruitful.

And if I’m honest … I loved doing it. I loved preparing for it. I loved delivering it. I loved seeing what God did through it.

Nothing went wrong — there was no downside to the project at all.

In fact, I had never taken on something like that in such a major role before. Part of the reason I said yes was because I wanted the experience.

I had this quiet sense that maybe God was inviting me into more work like that.

So I thought: “Let’s try it, see if I can do it … see if I like it.”

And what I discovered was …

I could do it.
And I did like it.

In many ways, I was the perfect person for that project.

And it actually brought me closer to God because I had to lean on Him constantly as I prepared and delivered it.

Again…Nothing but fruit.

After it was over, I took it to prayer.

Because if this was something the Lord wanted me to do more of, I wanted to be open to it.

And the answer that came back was very clear.

Not dramatic. Not confusing. Just very simple.

“Denise … not now.”

Not never. Just not now.

Listening to God’s Voice

God wanted my attention somewhere else. And the clarity of that moment surprised me.

Because this wasn’t a “no” based on stress … or something going wrong … or failure.

Nothing failed. Nothing went wrong.

This was simply a holy “not now.”

Holy, meaning it came from God.

This is something I see so often with the women I work with (and in myself).

We say yes to things because:

• We’re good at them
• We’re capable of doing them
• We have the time
• They help people
• They are meaningful
• They bear fruit

And all of those are good reasons.

But they are not the ultimate reason God wants us to do things. God will rarely ask us to sacrifice the primary things He has already entrusted to us so we can chase new good things.

Why Say Yes?

As Catholic women, the reason we say yes to something is not simply because it’s good or we can do it.

The reason we say yes is because God is asking us to do it.

And if we’re not careful, we can slowly fill our lives with good things while unintentionally leaving less room for the God thing.

So if you’re someone who is capable, generous, talented, helpful, or ambitious — a woman who sees needs everywhere and wants to step in and serve, I want to invite you into something today.

A sacred pause.

When something appears in front of you that looks good, before you say yes, pause and ask:

“Lord … is this from You right now?”

Because sometimes the most faithful answer isn’t yes.

Sometimes it’s no.

And sometimes … the holiest answer of all is simply, “Not now.”

Questions to Ponder:

1. If I remove the pressure to help, perform, or prove something, do I still sense a quiet invitation from God to do this right now?
2. If I say yes to this, what would it require me to say no to? And is that something God has already entrusted to me?

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Copyright 2026 Denise Jelinek
Images: Canva