when you don't want to, remember... you get to...
Sometimes I just don't want to. I don't want to clean the dishes one more time. I don't want to do another load of laundry. I don't want to wake up early for work, make another trip to the grocery store, cook dinner, or clean the house. Sometimes I don't want to sweat buckets at the gym for an hour. I don't want to take a shower, do my hair, or wear make up. There are days when I really don't want to do anything. And then I am reminded that it's a blessing that I get to.
This week has been packed full of to-do's that didn't get done over the weekend. I'm feeling behind, I'm feeling tired, and sometimes I feel that I'll never get it all done. Who am I kidding? I won't. Is anyone ever truly caught up? But I left the office today knowing that I had to go to the store before I went home. It was an early morning for me, so all I wanted to do was leave work on time (which didn't happen), get home ASAP, and relax. I did NOT want to go to the store. Have you tried to buy groceries at 5:00PM on a Monday? Don't. Don't even bother. The store is a mad-house after work, so I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. I also knew that I didn't feel like cooking dinner, so I had to come up with a few days of easy meals on the fly. As I drove to the store thinking to myself, "I don't want to go..." over and over, the Lord gently reminded me that it's a privilege, a blessing to go to the store. A majority of the world doesn't have easy access to massive amounts of food, and I have the ability to stroll up and down aisle after aisle whenever I want to buy whatever I feel like eating. I was reminded that it's a blessing to even be able to buy groceries to keep our pantry stocked and our refrigerator full. That going to the store should be an act of thanksgiving, of praise, because not everyone gets to go to the store, and not everyone can. I may not always want to, but I should be thankful that I get to.
I may not always want to wake up early to go to work, but I get to go to a job that I love, work with people that I enjoy, and work in a safe, Godly environment doing something I am passionate about. I may not want to clean my house or do my laundry, but I get to because I have a home full of more than I need. A safe and comfortable place to rest my head. I may not want to work out or push myself, but I get to because I have a healthy body that with able legs and full lungs. And I realize that all of my "get-to's" are blessings. Blessings that I sometimes view as burdens because I forget. I forget how gracious God has been. I forget how undeserved I am. I forget that I am owed nothing in life, and that without His generosity, I wouldn't have the life I'm living. I forget that my "have-to's" are many people's wishes. That the things I take for granted, are the very things some desperately pray for. And that having to, wanting to, and getting to really come down to perspective, to a heart of gratitude.
You may not want to, but you get to. You get to because God is gracious. You get to because God is full of goodness. You get to because God gives us more than we could ever fathom or deserve. And you get to because you are blessed. Blessed beyond belief.
"Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things."- Psalm 103:2-5
This week has been packed full of to-do's that didn't get done over the weekend. I'm feeling behind, I'm feeling tired, and sometimes I feel that I'll never get it all done. Who am I kidding? I won't. Is anyone ever truly caught up? But I left the office today knowing that I had to go to the store before I went home. It was an early morning for me, so all I wanted to do was leave work on time (which didn't happen), get home ASAP, and relax. I did NOT want to go to the store. Have you tried to buy groceries at 5:00PM on a Monday? Don't. Don't even bother. The store is a mad-house after work, so I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. I also knew that I didn't feel like cooking dinner, so I had to come up with a few days of easy meals on the fly. As I drove to the store thinking to myself, "I don't want to go..." over and over, the Lord gently reminded me that it's a privilege, a blessing to go to the store. A majority of the world doesn't have easy access to massive amounts of food, and I have the ability to stroll up and down aisle after aisle whenever I want to buy whatever I feel like eating. I was reminded that it's a blessing to even be able to buy groceries to keep our pantry stocked and our refrigerator full. That going to the store should be an act of thanksgiving, of praise, because not everyone gets to go to the store, and not everyone can. I may not always want to, but I should be thankful that I get to.
I may not always want to wake up early to go to work, but I get to go to a job that I love, work with people that I enjoy, and work in a safe, Godly environment doing something I am passionate about. I may not want to clean my house or do my laundry, but I get to because I have a home full of more than I need. A safe and comfortable place to rest my head. I may not want to work out or push myself, but I get to because I have a healthy body that with able legs and full lungs. And I realize that all of my "get-to's" are blessings. Blessings that I sometimes view as burdens because I forget. I forget how gracious God has been. I forget how undeserved I am. I forget that I am owed nothing in life, and that without His generosity, I wouldn't have the life I'm living. I forget that my "have-to's" are many people's wishes. That the things I take for granted, are the very things some desperately pray for. And that having to, wanting to, and getting to really come down to perspective, to a heart of gratitude.
You may not want to, but you get to. You get to because God is gracious. You get to because God is full of goodness. You get to because God gives us more than we could ever fathom or deserve. And you get to because you are blessed. Blessed beyond belief.
"Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things."- Psalm 103:2-5
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