I GET To

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 Last year, we had a new principal at our school. There are so many ways I could tell you how Stacey has made a difference in our school or in my life in the last year and a half. But the one that had the biggest impact in 2020 is this simple clause: “I get to”.

While the rest of us would say “I have to meet with a parent this morning” or “I have to get my lesson plans up before I leave” or “I have to clean out the cat’s litter box tonight,” Stacey will very pointedly replace “I have to” with “I GET to”.

I GET to meet with a parent this morning. (Yay . . . )

I GET to put up my lesson plans before I leave. (Woo hoo . . . )

I GET to clean out the cat’s litter box tonight. (Forced grin . . . )

But she actually says it with a smile. With genuine gratitude and enthusiasm. I mean, sometimes it takes a couple tries at the words for her to get to that point, but it’s an admirable thing to watch.

I believe God put her and her repetitive little catchphrase in my life this year for just such a time as this. I spent the entire summer of 2020 doing a million things that I hate. I had to call people to come to work on my house to get it ready to sell. I had to make decisions about which flooring . . . which roofer . . . what this . . . when that . . . all decisions I felt completely unqualified to make. I had to tolerate people being in and around my house all day long doing work. I had to keep track of expenses. I had to negotiate with my ex about what work to do and how much to spend and this and that. I had to find another home . . . move . . . unpack . . . store . . . fix . . . figure out . . . I went to bed every night exhausted at the effort, depressed at my incompetence, and grieving at the significance of it all.

In the midst of this, a random email brought to my attention a video teaching series with Francis Chan working through the book of James. I love Francis Chan. I love the book of James. And of course, in day one of this series, I was confronted with the scriptural command I know so well: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds. For you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. And perseverance must finish its work, so that you are not lacking in anything.”

Consider it pure joy, my brothers.

PURE JOY.

I GET to do this.

I GET to schedule a bunch of people to come work on my house . . . I get to financially support a lot of hard-working men trying to support their families during a pandemic. I get to learn things about house maintenance and construction that increase my appreciation of what I own. I get to interact with people from many walks of life . . . and practice my Spanish a little.

I GET to have people around me all day . . . I get to strengthen my social endurance. I get to practice patience and cheerfulness when under stress. I get to learn to value my alone time all the more for its rarity.

I GET to deal with my ex about all this . . . I get to figure out a working relationship with him. I get to learn how to trust my own ideas and instincts. I get to practice standing up for myself. I get to watch him practice humility and grace with me and see God maybe working in his life.

The fall and winter brought a million more Get Tos, almost as challenging, just as exhausting. I can’t say I can call any of this Pure Joy yet. Right now, I reserve that designation for anything chocolate-related. But I’m seeing the positives in the trials of my life – or at least I’m trying to and succeeding more often.

This week is my Winter Break. I GET to rework all my lesson plans to fix the mistakes I made last month. Woo hoo. Pass the Hershey’s.

Comments

  1. Marshall WebberFebruary 1, 2021 at 4:03 PM

    The GET TO is hardest when life seems the most unfair. I've tried things like gratitude diaries, but when you feel like you are under 20 tons of manure that all fell on you at once, gratitude goes right out the window. That being said, I'll give the GET TO a try. It certainly can't hurt, and I've discovered that forcing yourself to do something (like smiling when you want to scream) can act as a feedback to your hind-brain, using your fore-brain to trick your hind-brain into simmering down.

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