I have a vivid childhood memory of my dad waking me up on Saturday mornings by singing a direct quote from Psalm 118:24: “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” I hated this! For one, my dad was a vocally challenged individual. And two, he was usually waking me up so I could help him do manual labor around our house or at one of his rental properties. There were several times when my neighborhood friends wanted to do something fun, and I would tell them with a resentful tone, “I can’t… I’ve got to help my dad work.” This was usually accompanied by some additional grumbling and a few not-so-kind words.
Over the last several years, I've noticed how often people use the phrase “I've got to…” with a resentful tone, even when talking about good things. I've also noticed that the more we approach life with an “I've got to” mentality, the easier it becomes to feel weighed down by responsibilities rather than grateful for opportunities. Recognizing this prompted me to make one small shift in how I approach almost everything I do. What is this shift, you ask? Instead of viewing my responsibilities, appointments, interruptions, and surprises as obligations, I'm trying to view them as opportunities. Well, most of the time, at least. How have I done this? By intentionally retiring the phrase “I've got to…” and replacing it with “I get to…”
Instead of saying, “I've got to go to the gym and work out,” I say, “I get to go to the gym and work out.” Instead of saying, “I've got to go to my son's event,” I say, “I get to go to my son's event.” Instead of saying, “I've got to write a sermon,” I say, “I get to write a sermon.” This small shift from obligation to opportunity has made a BIG difference in my life. Changing my words doesn't automatically change my circumstances, but it does help change my perspective. It reminds me that so much of what I consider an obligation is actually a gift from God. And this simple practice has helped open up a pathway to the spiritual discipline of gratitude. I'm learning to see more of life's responsibilities, appointments, and even interruptions as opportunities to be grateful for rather than burdens to resent. As a result, I can more genuinely say, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
I'm thankful that my dad instilled this truth in me, even if I didn't appreciate it at the time. And you know what? I wish I could work alongside my dad one more time. Only this time, I would approach it with the mindset of “I get to work with my dad” instead of “I've got to work with my dad.”I can't do that now, but I look forward to the day when I can thank him for teaching me this lesson when I see him again in eternity.
What could God do in and through you today if you began retiring the phrase “I've got to…” and replacing it with “I get to…”?