“Get To!”

There’s a Christian camp tucked away in the pine trees of Texas where the counselors have a motto: We don’t “have to;” we “GET TO!”  

As they go about their everyday activities, they have the attitude of “I get to do this!” rather than, “I have to do this.” 

For instance, they have a mindset of “I GET the joy of playing with a dozen three-year-olds for hours on end,” rather than “I can’t believe I have to swelter in this heat with these crazy kids.” Or “I simply cannot wait to rise to lead you on a 10 mile bike ride” verses “You mean I have to wake up at the crack of dawn? I’ll be exhausted before lunch.” 

It’s simply a mind over matter proposition. When they tell themselves that they are living a privileged life then they exude joy instead of grumbling and they have a sense of peace instead of entitlement, all while doing the very same activity!

We too can have a positive attitude when it comes to our everyday lives. Will we choose to adopt and attitude of we “get to” rise early and spend time with the One who created us or will we begrudgingly get out of bed, feeling as if we don’t we will be judged by others? Will we choose to joyfully serve those less fortunate than us or will we complain through the whole activity?

The state of our mind is also important to the Almighty: For the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace, (Romans 8:6). Isn’t it neat that the result of living a “get to” kind of life is that we have a life filled with peace? What a blessing it is to be privileged with a lifestyle of peace while getting to do all the things that He has called us to do. And the best part is we don’t “have to;” we “GET TO!”