Don't Give in to Fear
I am a self-confessed news junkie. Lately all news sources (internet, television, newspapers and magazines) have concentrated on the current economic crisis. Words like fear, nail biting, stress, perilous, risk-adverse, nervous, panic are commonly part of these news reports.
It is very hard not to give in to fear. The current situation has been compared to the Great Depression. President Franklin D. Roosevelt has been remembered most for his comment that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." His wife Eleanor said, "He who loses money loses much; he who loses a friend, loses much more; he who loses faith, loses all."
Since FDR presided from a wheelchair (as a result of polio), the nation listened to him with admiration and respect. He also commented, "Once you've spent two years trying to wiggle one toe, everything is in proportion."
When through no fault of your own, your accumulated nest egg disappears (as is happening with multitudes of people at this time), there is a natural tendency to be afraid that:
you will no longer be able to provide for your needs or the needs of your family
diminished or depleted savings will result in a bleak future
a lower standard of living will mean unhappiness
education and experience will no longer do you any good
Loss of resources you have worked hard to acquire is a major blow. Having to start over in middle age or retirement can be devastating.
However, despair is not inevitable.
If a lifestyle change is necessary, it need not be devastating. Solutions begin with a positive attitude and a faith that God is with you and has a plan for your life - a plan for your good and His glory.
My natural tendency is to panic and be fearful. At age 13, I became a Christian. At that time, my father gave me a Bible inscribed with his favorite verse. That verse, along with many others, has helped me make the choice to trust God no matter what the circumstances.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).
It is very hard not to give in to fear. The current situation has been compared to the Great Depression. President Franklin D. Roosevelt has been remembered most for his comment that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." His wife Eleanor said, "He who loses money loses much; he who loses a friend, loses much more; he who loses faith, loses all."
Since FDR presided from a wheelchair (as a result of polio), the nation listened to him with admiration and respect. He also commented, "Once you've spent two years trying to wiggle one toe, everything is in proportion."
When through no fault of your own, your accumulated nest egg disappears (as is happening with multitudes of people at this time), there is a natural tendency to be afraid that:
you will no longer be able to provide for your needs or the needs of your family
diminished or depleted savings will result in a bleak future
a lower standard of living will mean unhappiness
education and experience will no longer do you any good
Loss of resources you have worked hard to acquire is a major blow. Having to start over in middle age or retirement can be devastating.
However, despair is not inevitable.
If a lifestyle change is necessary, it need not be devastating. Solutions begin with a positive attitude and a faith that God is with you and has a plan for your life - a plan for your good and His glory.
My natural tendency is to panic and be fearful. At age 13, I became a Christian. At that time, my father gave me a Bible inscribed with his favorite verse. That verse, along with many others, has helped me make the choice to trust God no matter what the circumstances.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).
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