by Robin Volker

One of the ways we can avoid complaining in our lives is to focus on "Get To" instead of "Have To."  Rick and I have an aging black lab named Dutch.  Rick and his son, Ricky, got Dutch about six months before I came into their lives, but Dutch and I have been like peas and carrots for over ten years.  I love that ole' dog; and he loves me.  Of course, Dutch loves just about everybody, but that is beside the point. 

Last week, Dutch hurt his bad knee.  Four years ago he tore or stretched his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) trying to knock a raccoon off the top of our privacy fence.  For a number of reasons, Rick and I elected to not have surgery done on his knee.  Though he gets sore sometimes, especially in the winter, it really has not held him back.  Last week, Dutch and I were out in the yard doing nothing special.  I heard a little doggie whimper come out of him. When I turned around, Dutch was holding up his leg.  He was in pain, and it was obvious.  The vet says that at eleven years old, he is not strong enough with his other knee and hip to undergo surgery now.  Pain management and rest are the only remedies.  He may not fully recover this time. 

All those walks Dutch and I have taken in the cold and the snow and the rain and the heat have sometimes seemed like a "have to."  After lying with him in the floor last week, massaging his legs and hips, and soothing him as best I could, what joy it will be if he and I "get to" go around the block again. 

When we love someone or something, even chores become a privilege.  Remember how excited you were to do mundane things for your lover when you first met?  Or the excitement of changing your baby's first diaper?  Then lack of time or familiarity or overload cause those things to shift from pleasures to annoyances. 

How much of your time is spent doing things you feel you "have to" do?  One of the most limiting things we can say to ourselves is, "I have to…."  Our minds immediately rebel like a small child being told to go to bed. 

A much more useful way to talk to ourselves is to change our "I have to" into "I get to." "Have to" leads to obligation and avoidance.  "Get to" leads to motivation, excitement, and opportunity.   Motivation, excitement, and opportunity expand our lives.  As we expand, we open to receive more of God's blessings into our lives.

This week, I invite you to notice how often you say "have to."  Is it possible to turn each seeming chore into an excited, affirming, and expansive "get to"?