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"It would be too expensive..."
"I can't use the money I now have because something bad might happen in the future."
"I have a lack of funds."
Obviously, not all changes require money ... but if higher education or travel is what you'd like to experience, then the concept of money -- and whether you have enough -- is likely to come up.
Looking around at the world, especially in the past year or so ... there seems to be a near-universal belief that there is a limited supply of money/wealth ... and those who want it (the "have's"), must acquire it at the expense of others (who become the "have-nots"). The have's thus have an entitlement/greed-fest mindset, and the have-nots have an "undeserving/stuck-in-poverty-or-striving" mentality.
Both seem rooted in fear that there is "not enough" ... that supply is scarce.
Methinks we can afford to look at that...!
God, our Source, who spoke all into being, is our Supply. He does not lack, in anything. And He says to us (each and all), "Son/Daughter - you are always with Me -- all I have is yours."
When, I wonder, will we start to believe that?
My Supply is *not* derived from my income ... from my husband's job, from our bank accounts, from our investments, from the value of our mortgage, or even from money. My Supply is God. Is my image of God one of a Withholder, or a Lavish Giver? Could it be true that I receive as I give...? Could it be true that if I sow (put forth) a belief in limitation, lack, scarcity, that that's what I reap..?
Could it be that I get in my own way...?
Perhaps I could afford to shift my thinking from, "I can't afford that" to "Whatever I need, in whatever form of assistance I need, will show up in my life, to guide me into all the abundance that is God's." And ... "even though I do not yet see it, I can trust that it is on its way -- and I will receive it as I am open to it."
Couldn't hurt to give it a shot, no?
Perhaps I just need to become more observant, and grateful, for all I *do* have:
- All the air I can breathe (and then some)!
- All the water I require for drinking, cooking, cleaning ... with a surplus!
- Fire and heat, which show up as I need it, when and how I need it...!
- The sun, which I notice generously shines on each and every one...!
- The moon, which I love to watch transforming in the sky ...
- The ground, which has not yet failed to hold me up!
- Gravity ... again, it's been pretty dang reliable!
- My body ... which manages to breathe, circulate blood, navigate this realm, and fluctuate hormones, without me having to direct it to do so!
- Other humans -- who provide me with endless lessons in seeing my own blind spots (free and live demonstrations, played out before my eyes!).
- Beauty ... which is all around me, should I choose to notice!
I couldn't possibly "afford" those blessings, if I had to purchase them! And yet they're lavishly, even "wastefully" poured out for me...!
And yet ... I manage to fathom a God who would otherwise stingily hold out on me, in order to "teach me a hard lesson"...?
What if my frame of reference about money (which is just a tool to an end ... meant to be a blessing) needs reframing...? What if I've been tripping over my own faulty thinking?
In general, whether we believe we can afford to do a thing or not, we're right.
Question those beliefs ... choose again.
Shalom, Dena
P.S. Just as I signed off, and checked emails, I found this, which I had missed on December 5th (coincidence? God-incidence?):
"We each have the choice in any setting to step back and let go of the mind-set of scarcity. Once we let go of scarcity, we discover the surprising truth of sufficiency. By sufficiency, I don't mean a quantity of anything. Sufficiency isn't two steps up from poverty or one step short of abundance. It isn't a measure of barely enough or more than enough. Sufficiency isn't an amount at all. It is an experience, a context we generate, a declaration, a knowing that there is enough, and that we are enough."
~Lynne Twist
Today's Affirmation
All of my needs are met.
Today's Meditation
Dear God,
Thank You for providing everything I need.
Thank You for the order that is now evident and at work in my life.
I am grateful for Your abundance which flows though me.
As I give I receive, lavishly and with good measure.
Thank You very much.
Amen
AND, my friend Kevin Beck is also in synch...! Read on:
At this time of year and especially in tight economic times, retailers are doing everything in their power to get your attention and your dollars. They are in the business of creating wants and promising to fulfill your wishes.
Try going a whole day without saying, "I want (need, would like, gotta get, must have, think it would be fun to own, wish someone would give me) something."
You'll quickly realize that humans always want something. A new hair style, cool clothes, the latest technology, vehicles, another cigarette, reading material, gadgets, artwork, delicious food, hot coffee, extra money, a vacation, more Twitter followers.
Our desires aren't limited to material possessions. We want happiness, recognition, respect, spiritual satisfaction, health, passionate sex, approval, world peace, meaningful work, people to agree with us, better weather, forgiveness, revenge, political victory, wisdom, enlightenment, salvation, heaven, God's blessing, love.
When our wants are met, we almost immediately crave something else. Lunch was wonderful, but I can't wait until supper. This week's game was awesome, and I expect next week's to be better. Open one Christmas gift and hastily toss it aside in a frantic search for another.
There is always something more to want. Tearing down your old barns to build bigger ones might be the most common of all human activities.
Even so, wanting is not immoral. You are not a bad person because you want. Wanting arises from a perception of deficiency. Want assumes lack. The illusion tells us that we are less-than and that in order to measure up, to feel satisfied, or to attain fulfillment that we must obtain something.
Once we acquire it, we hope it will fill our perceived emptiness and quench the fires of desire.
Yet, when we get whatever we wanted, we inevitably want something else. By our experience we know that attainment does not produce fulfillment. "When I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after wind."
Constant longing accompanied by agitated restlessness indicates inner discontent, and external stuff cannot satisfy an internal attitude.
Hoping that attaining something outside of yourself can bring fulfillment is fueled by absence. Imagining that now is not enough causes your mind to wander through an existential desert. This belief pushes you from one supposed oasis to the next, yet each oasis is a mirage.
The delusion of deficiency drives you to move heaven and earth to get what you suppose will fill your desire. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Your cup runs over right now.
Presence opens the eye of the spirit and enables you to see past the deception of dearth. Living mindfully in each emerging moment awakens you to the immediate wholeness of the all-in-all.
Presence generates gratitude, contentment, self-assurance, joy, and tranquility because you eat of the Tree of Life only in the now. When you attend to the present, you revel in wonder over the miracle of your very existence.
Because we live in a universe of infinite unfolding, situations always change. Recognizing this reality empowers you to see wants for what they are. Contextual desires that are not necessarily good or bad. Knowing that wants by their nature cannot be filled because they always want more frees you from their oppression.
Therefore, become aware of your wants and express them. The old Christian hymn, Sweet Hour of Prayer, advises that you make all your wants and wishes known. If done in a spirit of greed, you may consider yourself a magician attempting to manipulate God into performing your will. You may even get what you want, but you'll be left with a false sense of satisfaction or a true sense of bleakness.
However, stating your desires opens you to explore why you believe you want. You will learn about yourself, your relationships, and the source of true fulfillment. By making your wants and wishes known, you will discover liberation from their tyranny.
In this newfound freedom, you will trust that you don't need whatever it is that you want in order to be fulfilled because fulfillment already embraces you.
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