A phrase that is used a lot but for the most part is untrue.

When you replace these words with “I choose not to”, does this change how you look at things?

There are some things in life that you cannot change or are not a choice. However, how you deal with those things or react to those things IS a choice. We choose who with, where and what we spend most of our time doing.

Flipping our thinking from “I can’t” to “I choose not to” can help you realise that what you thought was a genuine constraint might actually be a mental block you have created or an excuse to ease your conscience. If there is something you really want to do, you can (as the saying goes) move mountains to do it.

Let’s try an exercise: let’s swap out these words and see what happens… “I can’t afford a holiday” vs. “I choose not to save, or borrow money or sell my possessions to pay for a holiday”. If you really wanted that holiday there are plenty of options you could look into to make it happen but that would involve choices to which there are consequences or compromises that must be made.

Sometimes choices are hard so we comfort ourselves with “I can’t” because the blame can be shifted off ourselves.

Perhaps you are scared, perhaps it will be hard work or perhaps you do not have the drive to make it happen. Hopefully flipping your thinking will help give you an honest answer so that you can start working towards a goal.

I want to challenge you to own your choices! Live by the mantra “What would Jesus do?”. Jesus made the ultimate in tough choices and He made that choice for us.

“The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now”! they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!” (Mark 15:29-30, NLT)

Jesus chose not to come down from that cross. He chose to fulfil God’s plan so that we all might have a hope. Let’s not waste His sacrifice. Let’s make better choices. Turn to God in prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference”.