Here’s a little of what I don’t know….
I don’t know the future of our country’s economy.
I don’t know what the ramifications will be when they speak of the equivalent of $3500 from every individual in the United States including men, women, and children (as small as infants) being used to pay for a bailout that has been a long time of bad decisions coming to a culmination.
I don’t know as a single parent, how taxes will be affected to cover this short-term crisis.
I don’t know what it’s like to live through a depression.
I don’t know if Jas will mow the lawn when he gets home from school.
But I do know….
I do know I must be anxious for nothing.
I do know I have food in my cabinet and gas in my car for today.
I do know I have a job to go to as of right now.
I do know my children have clothes to wear and schools to attend.
I do know that I have a home to live in that’s warm and cozy when it’s cool outside.
I do know now more than ever that I depend on God taking care of all these things I don’t know about tomorrow.
I do know Jas will not get paid if he doesn’t finish mowing the lawn.
But I also know we must do our part of making better decisions each moment of today and learn from our bad decisions of the past. I know I am stating the obvious here, but I believe we should all pay our debts and live within our means, even if that requires sacrifice. As a single mom, I know how to cut corners and live on a tight budget. I think it’s fair that I request this “living within your means” of all American citizens alike.
There is an old hymn… maybe you have heard it… one line of the song rings out in my mind tonight:
I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.
Excerpt from the song, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow”
I am not ignoring the crisis before us. I am not hiding my head in the sand. But I have a great deal to be grateful for; so I would rather count my blessings at this time of chaos and uncertainty instead of wringing my hands and blowing into a paper bag. Even though I have had my own issues with anxiety, I am sincere when I tell you have no fear. Try to focus on the positive. What good will fear do any of us anyway?
6 comments:
This is an exceptional post.
I could easily stop just with that comment, but I will add a few additional thoughts.
While this financial and credit crisis is real and while the ramifications to our personal checkbooks/taxes are yet to be realized, we all have a lot to be grateful for and we must never, ever lost sight of that.
Focus on what is before you, your family, your job, your finances and work to make them all better. That is the best thing we can all do in any time of uncertainty.
I am happy to know you, you have a good head on your shoulders.
John Lusher
John's right, it is exceptional. I was just talking with Matthew about the state of the economy and what's to come and I shouldn't have. I don't know enough to tell him what may happen.
What I do know is that we've been through alot, and we've always made it through. And I needed a reminder today that everything's going to be okay... :D And I have to have faith and know that I'm not supposed to worry about tomorrow because it will take care of itself.
Oh if it were only that easy.
But today, or rather, right now, I have no fears. :D
I really needed to read this today. I'm at perhaps one of the lowest points of my life and unfortunately I don't have food in the pantry or gas in the car and next week I won't have a job to go to, but I know that I've been through a lot in my life and I've always survived. I will survive this too, one way or another, I have no choice because I have two beautiful little boys depending on their mommy and they will give me the strength to plug through this. They say that God will not give us more than we can handle, I just wish he didn't have so much confidence in me sometimes.
I love that song. It speaks volumes. It's a daily discipline to put our trust in Almighty God. It's not always easy with the world that we live in. But it is always worth it!
Great post. You sound accepting, grateful, living in the present moment. That's all any of us can do. Live from faith, not fear.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (whatever you might think of his politics) was right: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself". And yes, there's a lot to be said for (so to speak) looking at what's being projected onto the screen, not at the feed or take-up reels on the projector.
I myself live on disability benefits. I have a place to live, in a not *too* terrible neighborhood (though summer nights here are a bit scary), food in the fridge (when I remember to shop anyway) and Internet access, though real-life friends (of either sex) would certainly be nice.
Having said all of that, my biggest fear is that despite the financial Chernobyl, despite the costly fiasco known as the Iraq War, despite lots of people in the the rest of the world thinking Americans are crazy, evil or both, voters will just the same vote for John McCain this November. Except that it'll really be a vote for know-nothing library-de-funder Sara Palin. (Get ready for Chief Justice Pat Robertson.)
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