S&P downgrades? they can't give credit ratings for Hope

The economy looks bleak. Or so they say.

I realized, I had relied on it always being good. And somehow, in the dire and alarmist news, I'm learning that recessions are good for faith.

Or maybe it's good to have faith in recession.

I've been in the faith gym, building muscles and training for the race in a Hope, unseen. I'm in it to win it as a Hope Olympian.

Over the last few years, I've known friends and family affected by lost jobs, dried up markets, rising food and gas prices. There's a day-to-day struggle of saving dollars here, gas there, canceling luxury items, and at times, rearranging a whole life to downgrade, downsize, and give up homes to start over. Smaller and smarter, hopefully.

We have some laid-off dairy workers, on our farm dismantling one of our chicken houses on days reaching over 105 degrees. They're helping us (by doing the work) and we're helping them as they sell the scrap metal for money as an income. I'm grateful for them, admiring their grit and determination.

We have families combining living spaces and sharing their homes, sometimes long-term, maybe indefinitely.

And with the bottom falling out of this bucket of prosperity, we're caught by faith or fall into despair's pit.

We realize, we were never in control all those years we thought we were, buying houses, or selling them, or borrowing so easily, running up credit cards, living on maxed out debt and joy riding any ol' day of the week.

Recessions allow us to know God is still in control when it seems out of control.

And that's our greatest Hope. Because no matter how it all seems to tank, we're never empty in Him.

His economy never bankrupts, His promises never suffer a recession, His resources are not weakened by a S & P credit rating, His influence isn't dependent on what MSNBC, ABC, Foxnews or another agency, says about prayer. His control isn't threatened by government shutdowns, His healing doesn't depend on a Healthcare Plan, and His long-range provisions aren't determined by a Social Security program.

He doesn't panic and sell off stocks, His futures do not tumble, droughts don't fluster His ability to produce rains, and His finances do not belong to the U.S. treasury.

All of it is His, the whole earth and all that's in it. Recessions just remind us, He still reigns.

Just in case we forgot.

Our greatest commodity is Hope, and by faith, this is the jewel with which we are rich in everyway. His life is our gold standard. For nothing has changed in His kingdom, only in how we see ours.



....at Laura's

....also, at Ann's