For those who would listen, I have let it be known that the month of June is mostly about grandparent duty for Jane and I. We had our three oldest granddaughters earlier. Now we are having special day camp with all the grandchildren in Nashville. Next week, we get to spend some time with our grandchildren from Nebraska.
A great time for us, but with tongue in cheek, I call it duty.
Duty – an obligation, a responsibility. Something we generally consider in a negative way.
I can think of no better illustration than how calling something a duty in a negative sense, tells us more about the way we think about the thing, than anything else.
Spending great time with grandchildren is no duty. Nor is it considered such by any who hear the term and know the joy of being with their own grandchildren. They understand the joke and they only wish they could be saddled with the same “duty”.
Now carry that a bit farther. Ever notice the pleasure of working around and with those who consider their work a joy? Ever notice how long the day is when you work with someone who has no heart for what they are doing but only trudge through the duties of the day just to get a pay check?
The difference between the two workers is the way they each think about what they are doing. But the most important difference is in the choice each has made as to how they will think about what they are doing. Each has the power to make the proper choice, but only a few make it.
Being happy is a choice. Being joyful is a choice. If we find ourselves stuck in the drudgery of duty, we need to take a serious look at why we are choosing to think this way.