In life, you rarely (if ever) get what you want; you only get what you pay for.

When you go shopping, whether for groceries, clothes or anything else, you may see many things you want, but you only leave with the ones you pay for. No matter how much you wanted the wide variety of things you saw at the store, you can only leave with what you paid for. This is straightforward and universally accepted. We adhere to this principle so strictly that we consensually agree to the law against theft, which, in its simplest form, is taking something you haven’t paid for. We call it ‘stealing’.

Despite our understanding of this concept, we seldom apply this principle consistently across different areas of life. We sometimes assume we can get what we want without offering anything in return. Just because we want it.

In life, everything we want comes with a cost. Even the things we perceive as free, such as an abundant life or spiritual salvation, have been paid for by someone else. The salvation of our souls, for example, was paid for by the selfless act of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, whatever you seek in life, identify its cost —be it time, effort, money, an uncomfortable conversation, or something else— then decide to make that payment. In the same way you can’t walk out of a store without paying for what you picked up, you shouldn’t expect to get what you want in life merely because you want it.

You’re only entitled to what you pay for.