Do I have to?
Today’s devotional is written by one of our readers, Tanja Moody. You can find Tanja at her personal blog “Three Moody Cuties“. If you have never visited Tanja, I hope you will stop by after you read her devotional….
“Mommy lets me unload the dishwasher,” my five-year-old daughter told her
grandmother during a recent sleepover.
And at home when I ask her twin brother to sweep the kitchen floor, he is
glad that he “gets” to help me.
My eight-year-old son sees things differently. He doesn’t feel like he
“gets” to help. he feels he’s in a “have to” situation. Somewhere in those
few years between the ages of five and eight, he grew to view helping out
mom as an effort and not a ministry.
He’s not alone. Recently, I realized that I often cop the same attitude with
my Lord.
“I have to prepare a meal for the family that just had a newborn.” “I have
to organize a fellowship for Sunday school class.” “I have to take my turn
in the preschool children’s church class.”
The list of things I have to do often grows so long that what I really “have
to do” is question who put me in those ministry positions. me or the Lord?
I recalled a challenged issued by my Bible study leader one day a few months
ago. She said to those who were listening that we should change the way we
speak (and think) about our ministry opportunities.
“Don’t say ‘I have to teach Sunday school this week,'” she said. “Instead,
replace that thought with ‘I get to teach Sunday school this week.'”
We are privileged to serve our Lord. He’s not some irate taskmaster who is
piling on one thing after another, trying to break us down with stress.
Most often, we do that to ourselves.
No, He’s our Father. Our Daddy. We need to come to Him as His children and
do what He asks of us.
Because we “get” to.
“The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The
disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: ‘Don’t
push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children
are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept
God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.’ Then,
gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on
them.” (Mark 10:13-16, The Message)
Copyright: Tanja
I find myself saying that all the time. I have to cook dinner for my family. I have to get this done or that done. When it is truly a priviledge to serve my family, and my husband. It is a gift from heaven that the Lord made me the keeper of this home. It is ashame that we get so program to look at things as “have tos” instead of looking at things as “want tos”.
Thanks for the reminder!
Angie
Bless you for this sweetie.
Tanja,
We are privileged to serve our Lord. He’s not some irate taskmaster who is piling on one thing after another, trying to break us down with stress. Most often, we do that to ourselves…. Wow, is this, oh so, true. Wonderful post. Thank you for adding to our community and offering your wisdom. Hugs, Lynn
You are right, Tanja. We ‘get to’ serve our Lord. I know that I have piled on too much in the past, but it was not Him who put me into the ministries, but me who thought that they could not do without me…
Thank you for the reminder that it is a privilege to serve the Lord…
Unfortunately I have been guilty of the “have to” attitude. Even with my kids. Then I stop myself and realize things are only for a season.
Thank you for this great devotional.