Replace "I want" with "I have"

Last night, during dinner, our son listed off a couple of things he wanted to get. As with most families now, we’ve been more conservative in our purchasing decisions, and have decided it wise and prudent to be happy with what we have rather than thinking we need more. We’re teaching our children the same.

There was nothing wrong with acquiring the items our son desired, and we could certainly afford them, but they weren’t necessary things to have. He had fine back-ups, if you will, that worked fine for him.

When searching for a reply, I said, “Well, if you look over your whole budget, see how much money you have to spend, and decide these are priorities you want to spend your money on, you can get them.”

Truthfully, though, his budget was not big enough to buy these items! He was expecting mom and dad to foot the bill. We all knew this, but it was unspoken.

Soon the conversation ended, and peacefully so. I believe he decided quite rapidly that he had other priorities he wanted to spend his money on some day, and became content with what he had. I haven’t heard anything more about it.

I liked this outcome. By being asked to live within his means, he made an intelligent choice.

In these challenging economic times for many, the temptation looms large to think “I need, I want, I don’t have.” But when we step back from the arguments of lack and rejoice in God’s ever-present care, it’s amazing how we find contentment and peace with what we already have. It’s enough.

The joys and blessings of life are not material. They are spiritual, and they come freely from God. They are wisdom, gratitude, knowledge, understanding, cheer and love. These riches of Spirit, lived and actively expressed, build wealth, balance checking accounts, pay bills, keep us out of onerous debt, and make life a joy to live.

When we value the spiritual over the material, we make better decisions, we find contentment with what we have, we don’t crave more than we can afford, we find reasons to be grateful and enjoy the moment we’re in.

To experience more of the riches of Spirit, and live a contented life, it’s helpful to replace “I want “ with “I have.”

I have…God, love, spiritual understanding, peace of mind, trust, faith…

These spiritual states of Mind bless one from within and lead to practical solutions without. And like my son saw, we realize we have what we need. It is enough. The greater need is to be grateful for the blessings already in hand.

Stimulus that works

There’s active debate in Washington D.C. about what kind of stimulus is needed to jumpstart the economy. Some type of package will pass legislation, few observers doubt, but many wonder whether the proposed expenditures are going to create needed jobs and produce the right kind of effect.

One fact is for sure, federal debt will increase massively, and that’s not enjoyable news to hear from anyone’s point of view.

I’ve been thinking about alternative forms of stimulus to consider.

In times of financial distress, it’s tempting to think the primary need is for more money. Obviously, bills have to be paid. But money is seldom a final solution to any financial trouble. It’s more wisdom, discipline, better planning, sounder reasoning, honesty, integrity, gratitude and their kin that build solid financial houses that stand and weather the storms of human fear, uncertainty and irrational emotion.

And where does this wisdom and insight come from? It comes from God, the source of all intelligent action to begin with.

What will benefit our economy first and foremost is a spiritual stimulus of wisdom, ethics, intelligent planning, and compassionate understanding.

Prayer opens the mental door to ideas from above that lead to the profitable and productive use of available resources. God freely dispenses these ideas to the listening mind and backs them up with the ways and means needed to fully implemented them.

I pray that every decision-maker in government listens to the divine Mind for direction and acts upon divine Wisdom coming their way.

An infusion of morally and spiritually progressive ideas from divine Mind that lead to a sounder economy for the long run is the kind of stimulus I’m rooting for right now!

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." II Corinthians

Keep our head above it all

The below picture was sent to me with the caption, “Winter is almost over in Michigan and we can see the deer wandering around now.”

I laughed and laughed…


The deer making their way through the deep snow with barely enough height to keep their head above the drifts reminded me of times in life when I felt “snowed in” by fear, worry or doubt and not sure how to proceed. But I always made it through those times and moved on to something better. Spring inevitably follows winter.

This picture inspires hope. I imagine those deer are going to survive the wintry weather just fine. They look expectant and grateful, and perhaps even enjoy their romp through the soft stuff. They make the best of what they have to deal with and trust their needs to be met. In a few months time, they'll be happily chomping on lush green buds and grass all around.