The Wheelchair Principle

“Rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.”
Ecclesiastes 5:19b

I once came across this story about a man who was in a wheelchair. When he was asked by someone how it felt to be confined to a wheelchair each day, the man replied, "I am not confined to this wheelchair—I am liberated by it. If it wasn't for this wheelchair I would be bed-bound and never able to leave my house." This little pivot in perspective, radically changed the way this man viewed his life. The same can happen for us when it comes to our list of things to do.

If you're anything like me, a lot of times, you can look at the things that are before you in a given day and they can all amount to things you simply “have” to do. Think about the language we often use. If someone asks us what our day looks like, isn't is true that we typically answer that question by rattling off a list of things we "have" to do. I have to be at that meeting. I have to write that article. I have to make that call. I have to make dinner. I have to.... You get the point. But what if we approached our tasks from a place of humility rather than entitlement?

From a place of humility, our tasks can be received as a gift and a privilege. From a place of humility the "have tos" in our lives can quickly transform into "get tos". From a place of humility, the 'wheelchairs' in our lives can be seen as blessings instead of curses. And now, from a place of humility, going two miles will start to feel like one. But from a place of entitlement, going one mile will always feel like going two. So, what are the chores or commitments that you could look at in a different way today? Where could you apply the wheelchair principle and change your "have to" into a "get to"?

Dear God, forgive me for any attitude of entitlement that rises up in my heart and causes me to take for granted the hidden privileges I have in life. Help me to see my toil and tasks in a whole new way today. Take me from an attitude of confinement and bring me into the perspective of liberation. Empower me to rejoice in my toil because I don't have to. I get to! Amen.