Shrugging your shoulders?

How do you handle the situation when you see something that you want or need? It may be something like a new car or something for the home. Well, more often than not we just shrug our shoulders and say, "I can't afford it" and on the surface that seems like the sensible reaction, you really would like it but it's probably not worth running up huge debts for. Of course, there is another response to the situation. Instead of saying, "I can't afford it" you could say, "What could I do to afford it?"

The first response is a straight statement and one that tends to let you off the hook. "I can't afford it and that is the end of the matter". This attitude has the effect of switching off the mind to the subject. The latter response is not a flat statement but a question. "What can I do to afford it? There must be a way that I could have..." whatever it might be. This switches on the thought process, forces the mind to become active and try to come up with a solution.

So, you can handle the situation with a lazy mind or an active mind and it's just the same when God points you in a certain direction. You could be lazy and come up with, "He knows I can't do that so I'll just assume that it can't be me He's asking .....Phew! that got me off the hook". Or you could respond with, "What could I do to manage this task?" It's far too easy to become lazy of spirit so turn the question into a prayer, "Lord, what could I do to achieve what you ask of me?"

No one can condemn you for failing in your efforts. Failure takes effort, shrugging your shoulders and saying, "I can't afford it" gets you nothing.