Proverbs 15:13 “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.”
A friend and I were talking the other day about the home she runs for sober living. It is a place where women can go and get back on their feet as long as they stay alcohol and drug free. She told me that in her house no one is allowed to say, “I have to.” They have been retrained to say, “I get to.” I thought about that later on and what an incredible change of attitude that can make in one’s everyday life.
Just think how much better our day would be if we said, “I get to do the dishes,” or, “I get to pick up my husband’s dirty clothes.” Instead of saying, “I have to go to work,” we begin to say, “I get to go to work.” These statements change our everyday tasks from a complaining, ungrateful tone to an attitude of joyful anticipation and a thankful spirit. When we say we get to do these things, we soon see the blessings. I get to do the dishes because I have food to eat and dishes to eat on. I have a husband who is alive so I get to pick up his clothes. I get to go to work because I am one of the few that still has a job to go to. What a difference just replacing these little words in our everyday conversation could have on our daily life.
This will be something I am going to try and change in my everyday life. I think it will help me change my attitude from a complaining spirit to a spirit of contentment and help me with a thankful attitude. Well, I am off to make my list of things I get to do today. How about you? What things will you get to do today?
Lord, we get to be alive today! That says it all.
– Michele
