Be a Get-To Girl

Two of my friends got married recently. At the reception the DJ requested that all the married couples come to the dance floor. He played a fun game and it went like this: He would call out years of marriage and if you hadn’t been together that long, you took a seat. It seemed like as soon as my husband and I joined the fun, we were sitting back down. We were rookies.

“20 years, 30 years, 40 years” he continued. The dance floor began to empty and my whole focus shifted.  It wasn’t the chandeliers, beautiful fountains, or sparkly gowns that I was wonderstruck by anymore, it was the couple left standing. The groom's grandparents had woken up next to each other for 59 years.

​That’s 21,535 mornings.

“What is the secret to a long, happy marriage?” the DJ asked. The couple had the whole room’s undivided attention; we were eager to know the answer. Sandra took the mic, “Putting the other person first,” she said, locking eyes with her husband. “If each of you do this, then you will always be taken care of.” It’s the way she said it, you could tell taking care of her husband gave her joy.
 
More than anything, Paul wanted to deepen his relationship with Jesus, and bring others to Jesus. This is how he saw it: he got to wake up and show people Christ or he died and got to be with Jesus. Paul did not put Jesus first because he had to; he desired to. Paul had an ‘I get to’ attitude.  A ‘have to’ attitude is the product of acting with half of our hearts. (And girl, Jesus wants the whole thing.)
 
Just as this couple shows their love by caring for each other, we can show God we love Him by how we love others around us. We get to serve His church, we get to read His word, we get to be the light of a dark world. We can do all these things for and through Him, who strengthens us when we adopt this attitude, because our eyes and hearts are set on Jesus.  While we are here on this earth we can be the hands and feet of Jesus. We can do this in small ways such as paying for someone's coffee behind us in the Starbucks drive-thru  or bigger ways such as sacrificing our spare time to help in a soup kitchen down the street.
 
Paul knew life was so much better this way and he was committed to sharing this with others. We can have joy and the strength to hold on in a world full of sin, because that is what Jesus brings to the relationship. He will have and hold you at your best and even at your worst. He is our forever and always, our ride or die. He came down, the Son of God, and  humbled himself, so he could save you and me. He didn’t do it because he had to, He did it because he loved you. Jesus laid down his life for us so we would get to wake up for eternity with Him.

You do not have to give Jesus your heart, your mind, your soul, or your life… 
​Girl, you get to!

Memory Verse: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.” Philippians 2:14-16a NIV

About the Author

​My name is Taylor Watkins. I am 28. My husband Ethan and I have two beautiful girls, Kori (5) and Nora (1). We live in the North Georgia Mountains. I am a Pre-k teacher at our church. I love a cup of coffee, reading and having a good laugh. I also am a crazy cat lady. I find beauty in the fact that we get to worship and praise an all powerful, all knowing God who desires a relationship with us regardless of our flaws. I’m am so ready to dive deeper into God’s word with you. I know as he pours into us we will also pour into each other.

---