U GET 2

Hard work: you don't have to; u get 2.

A few weeks ago I went up to Charlotte to take the USATF (USA Track & Field) Level 1 certification class with my dad. Besides being a preacher, I also coach high school distance runners which is a ministry in and of itself--but that's a story for another day. One of our instructors for the level 1 class was Lori Shepard who after years of her own outstanding T&F career and then coaching NCAA T&F, now owns a personal training business in Florida called U Get 2 Fitness. Lori tells her clients like she used to tell her collegiate athletes: "You don't have to do anything; you get to."

This is not only a good coaching principle, but a good principle for life that can especially translate to our life together as church people. Too often among regular church goers there is an "I-have-to" attitude. Really, like Lori says, you don't have to do anything. What if we approached being church together and all that encompasses--from worship, prayer, bible study, fellowship suppers, mission projects, teaching Sunday School, tithing, visiting the homebound, singing in the choir, to even cleaning out the church kitchen refrigerator, changing light bulbs, mowing the grass, raking leaves--what if we approached church not with an attitude of "I-have-to", but I get to? I get to go to worship. I get to lead a bible study. I get to say the opening prayer. I get to sing in the choir. I get to visit the homebound. I get to rake the leaves. When we transition from I-have-to to I-get-to church suddenly doesn't seem like an after thought, a people and place we give whatever we have left over be it time, energy, or money. Church doesn't seem like burden we have to reluctantly and begrudgingly carry. Rather just that little change in our thought process and attitude completely changes how we approach church, how we come together to be church, how we give of ourselves to God and his holy church.

Jesus has called us to go and make disciples (Matt. 28). We don't have to. But think about it this way--we get to. God has chosen to partner with you, with me, with us, with humanity in kingdom building. We get to be a part of building God's kingdom in this world! We get to choose to participate in the building of God's kingdom...or not. God gave us freewill, so we don't have to do anything. But I consider it a privilege to get to partner with God in the here and now in the building of his kingdom. No matter the hard work, the frustrations, the set backs, the discouragements, the difficult people, the endless forms, at the end of the day it is all worth it because I get to work with God in making God's presence known in our world known; I get to be a fisher of people for God. What a privilege to get to work with our Creator in his here and now work among us! So, just remember, church, when you start hearing yourself say, "I have to," remember that you get to! And you get to for God! May this be your mantra as you carry out God's work in all you think, say and do: U Get 2!