From "Have To" To "Get To"

It occurs to me this week what an excercise the past few years have been in moving from "have to" to "get to". It used to be that I had to go to work. That I had to go to church. That I had to fit my "God time" into my life.

This last week we've had a freeze here in Austin. It all started on Sunday, enough so that the folks who own the building where we meet decided not to open it up that night. It has continued into Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday. Enough so that we cancelled our regular Bible study at our house tonight.

Meanwhile, BookPeople has stayed open. I've still been able to manage the drive on ice that it takes to get from here to there. I got to go in yesterday and I got to go in today. I'll get to go in tomorrow. I'm glad for that, as I'd have missed being there and being with the people who work there with me.

I miss being with my church. I'd pay money just to be able to sit down at a table and share the bread and the wine with them. I miss singing and talking and laughing and crying and sharing and serving. It hasn't even been a week since I was last with them, and I miss them. A lot.

This Sunday I will get to be with them again. I will get to be with the church the way I get to go to work. It will be a pleasure. And while I would disagree with those who say that if church is meaningful than it is never a duty or an obligation (what would this say about all the other meaningful relationships we have?), I would say that this attitude shift from "have to" to "get to" makes me feel like we're doing something right.