How Two Words Refined My Attitude

Have you ever been there: folding the laundry, searching for lost socks, placing your grocery order to pick up on the way home from work, scrubbing the dishes and wondering how food that once was crave-worthy now looks so gross, and thought to yourself, “I’m so over this. It never ends.” Have you been there? I know for a fact I’ve wondered how two people can make so many dirty dishes and laundry. I can only imagine how it seems to escalate when kids are added to the picture, but the premise is the same… we’ve all been there.

“Have To” vs. “Get To” When You’re There

Wil has always joked when he has to do something he doesn’t want to do, that he doesn’t have to do it, but he gets to do it. When it’s said with a joking tone, it turns into one big eye-roll… Yeah, lucky you, you get to take the trash out! But if you really think about it. It’s true. We are blessed to live this life. I get to take the trash out because I’m blessed with enough material belongings and food on the table to even create trash. See what I mean? We are there because we’re blessed.

So what if we never even had the opportunity to be there, to be tapped out over the motions of life?

What if it all went away tomorrow? The chores. The laundry, dirty dishes, vacuuming, and errands that need to be run? That would hurt. Because for them to disappear, something much greater must have disappeared. Nothing happens without repercussions. Did I lose my job? Thus money to put food on the table? Yeah… there go the dirty dishes. Did we lose a car? Home? Even worse… family member? Yep, don’t have to deal with dirty socks if the person isn’t there. What if all of the have to’s are suddenly gone?

What if we were never able to be a wife (or mom) with the honor of taking care of a home and family? If these mundane tasks just disappeared so would my husband and the life we have together. They may not be “Instagram-worthy”, but they’re what makes life, life. Dirty dishes are signals of the abundance of food on our table and the nights dancing in the kitchen cooking together, and dirty clothes show our many blessings and all of the sweet opportunities we have in life.

I’m not trying to be dramatic, but when it was put this way for me it totally CLICKED.

They may not be “Instagram-worthy”, but they’re what makes life, life.

For all of the things that we don’t want to do, there’s someone praying to do them, and there was even a time that I was praying for these days. For all of the things I don’t want to do, I get to do them because they’re a byproduct of my blessings. For all of the times that I’m there, there is someone wishing they were as blessed as me.

How Can You Change? Pray Over These Moments

So next time you’re counting how many plates two people can possibly use in a day (Answer: a LOT), let it be a reminder of the blessings. Here’s my challenge to you: Each time you (and I!) want to grumble about something, take that opportunity to pray about the situation or for a member of your family, instead. Talk about an attitude adjustment.

This is something I’ve been trying to work on, and trust me, it’s not easy! It really has the power to change your mindset, though. Look at it this way, it’s basically like being unable to be mad at an enemy if you’re praying for them.

Here’s an example. I got this idea from a Facebook post I saw many years ago… before I was even married, in fact. A woman was sharing that her husband has a habit of leaving his wet towel on the bed. She had asked and asked him to hang it up, but for some reason, this was the habit he couldn’t break. So instead of getting angry, each time she had to pick his wet towel up off the bed, walk it to the bathroom, and hang it, she prayed for him. Thanked God for her husband, that he was hers, and prayed to be a suitable helpmate for him. She prayed that he would continue to seek God as he leads their family, prayed that he would be a blessing at work, prayed for their marriage, and prayed for his protection. How can you possibly be too upset about a towel when your perspective is shifted in that manner?

So, give that a whirl. Next time you’re there and the get to’s feel a lot like have to’s, I’ll be praying for you. Allow these two words, get to, to refine your attitude. I challenge you, wifey.