Moving from “Got To” to “Get To”

I’m a list keeper.

My week starts with creating a to-do list.
The first task on my list is to create a to-do list.
I’m always on the lookout for the next coolest thing in apps for tracking tasks. (Right now, my favorite is todoist.)
Even now, I’ve made this look like a list.

The tasks on my to-do list can be categorized this way:

Things I’ve got to do.

That’s it.

Of course, not everything I do during a day makes it on my list. I don’t need a daily checklist or reminder to:

Hug my wife.
Call my sons.
Eat a pumpkin spice bagel for breakfast.
Read my Bible.

These are things I get to do, not things I’ve got to do. Do you hear the difference?

Things I’ve got to do. These are tasks to accomplish. I may not mind doing them, but I do need a reminder that I’ve got to complete them.

Things I get to do. I enjoy these “tasks.” I don’t even have to think about doing them. I thoroughly enjoy them, and they’re second-nature to me.

So what shows up on your “got to” and “get to” lists?

Ask yourself the same question I’ve been pondering: Do I see talking about Jesus and sharing my faith as a “get to” or a “got to?” Every Christian knows that sharing our faith is important. I’m tempted to give you another list—all the passages that call us to share the gospel of Christ—but we know we’re called to do it. People need to hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. Without Christ, people have no hope. They have no eternal life.

Sharing Christ is a task given to all Christians. But when we see people as Jesus sees them—made in His image, but in need of forgiveness and hope—and we love them as Jesus loves them, sharing Christ moves from something we’re supposed to do to something we want to do.