#469: "Have" To Versus "Want" To

It's no secret that there have been a whole lot of leaves to rake from the yards again this year. But now the grass is covered with a thick layer of golden green mold pollen. That's what I was raking until a few minutes ago.

Keeping up with Mother Nature's deposits is often frustrating, like a never-ending job, and too often seems like a waste of time, a chore that must be shouldered, like it or not, and repeated year after year.

That was my attitude until after a few bags of "stuff" had been collected. I resented having to do this every year. I resented that the dogs would need to bathed to get the stuff off of them and I resented that the floors would need to be afterward.

But then I heard a small voice say, "...give thanks in all circumstances..." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

That is when it hit me that we should not think of chores as acts we "have" to do but instead should consider them things we "want" to do because we have been blessed to be able to do them.

I realized I was indeed grateful for having all of my limbs and eyesight and two pet doggies to keep me company while I enjoyed the cool breeze and the sweat of honest exertion . Plus, what I had raked looked so nice. And, I'm helping keep the people employed who collect our yard wast every week, as well as the companies that make rakes, bags, trucks, tires and multitude of other items involved in yard cleanup. Most of all, I was grateful for the tress that produce beauty and needed shade in the heat of summer.

Turning "have" to into "want" to and being thankful for the ability to do what needed to be done changed my attitude from resentment to gratitude for so many things that, as I enumerated them in my mind, helped the time fly by until darkness began to overcome us and made it difficult to see.

Maybe we can remember this the next time the house needs cleaning or the kids need to be driven somewhere, or the pets need an exam at the vets, or even when leaves and pollen need to be raked from the yards. These are not things to be resentful over, but are truly things for which we should be grateful.

Such a change in attitude will fill our minds with appreciation and fill our minds and heart with peace.