WATCH YOUR MOUTH

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Graeme Wilson in Victory Call

A good man out of the goodness of treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. —Luke 6:45

A few months ago, my husband came to me with a small tweak in vocabulary that would totally transform the way we look at life. While it was profound at the time, it’s taken me almost 6 months to realize the true power behind what he was saying.

On my way to work today, I finally had the epiphany of how truly powerful such a shift in vocabulary can be.

The phrase was, “I GET TO _______________.” Fill in the blank with your task of choice. He’s been really intentional about using this phrase instead of the opposite, “I have to…” The former expresses gratefulness and contentment, while the latter expresses discontent and, on some level, even contempt.

I get to…

…do the dishes. (Because we have clean running water!)

…go to church. (Because we have the protected liberty of expression and movement in my body.)

…come home to my spouse and children. (Because I have people who love and care for me.)

…go to work. (Because I have a paying job that helps provide for my loved ones.)

…pay my bills! (Because God has provided.)

Speaking of the mundane activities in our everyday lives with a positive and joyful outlook brings glory to God. Think of how often we are not the greatest testimonies of His handiwork, and yet He definitively says we are fearfully and wonderfully made!

The lost often times have enough drudgery to contend with. So why should anyone else aspire to have what we have with Christ, if we don’t continuously find joy in our daily activities?

So the next time you’re scheduled for a root canal or tooth filling, remember, “I GET TO visit a dentist. Because there are folks in other countries without access to appropriate healthcare.”

Praise be to God!
Diera Shaw Mendez

Diera Shaw-Mendez is a minister and youth leader at New Beginnings Worship Center, Pennsauken, NJ, and works full-time for an educational nonprofit in Philadelphia. She is wife to Chaplain Juan Mendez and mama to Olivia Joy. She spends her “spare time” running an online invitation design shop on Etsy and write occasionally for her personal blog, With Style, By Grace. Diera is a God-fearing, Starbucks loving, tech junkie (…in that order!) who simply wants to inspire women to invest in THE beauty that never fades!