Moving from ‘I have to’ through to ‘I get to’

Have you ever thought, “I suppose I should go and do my Bible reading”. Or, “I have to go and pray”. Or, “It is time for church, I’d better go”. I’m sure we’ve all been there at some stage, where living out our faith might feel more like a duty than a joy.

I do need to say that there is nothing wrong with habit and routine. We don’t need to be enthused and joyful every time we do something that is important in our lives; that is unrealistic in our fallen world. There is something very good and helpful for us to be in a regular habit of personal Bible reading and prayer and local church attendance. Going even when we don’t feel much like it is much better than deciding only to go when we do feel like it. I have often found myself reflecting that I am glad I went to something, even when I didn’t much feel like it before I went.

It is not only the more overtly religious aspects of our lives that are like this. Most of us are not super enthusiastic about having to make dinner again, or go to work again, or to drop the kids off at school again. There is something about regularity that can come to feel a little oppressive. We can start to feel like we are stuck and trapped and not able to do what we really want to do with our time.

Let’s think about this just a little. I think in the regularity of life we can so easily forget what is really going on. When we read the Bible, we have the privilege of reading the words God himself has spoken to us. When we pray, we have the privilege of speaking to the one who controls the whole universe and loves us. When we go to church, we have the privilege of using our gifts to build others up and to worship the one who saved us and brought us from death to life. These are incredible blessings. These are things we get to do, not things we have to do.

We wouldn’t use the negative logic we fall into in other areas of our lives. Oh no, I need to speak to my wife again, what a burden! Oh no, I have to do my hobby again, what a drag! If we stopped and thought a little, and reflected on Jesus being so central to our lives, taking part in the means of grace he has given to us will take on a new meaning.

Next time you find your mind resisting reading the Bible and praying, remember: I get to do this. This is such a privilege!