The Road Not Chosen

Rubber Necking

I have, I realize, a list of things I can’t watch in movies/TV. This is not to be confused with the list of things I won’t watch. The can’t list is very specifically tailored to my life experiences that have left me with certain aversions. Here is part of my list.

I can’t watch women being abused verbally or physically in any way, even a small way. This is because in another life I was one of those women. Having lived through it makes it impossible to experience “viscerally”.

I absolutely cannot watch anything where a dog dies. I think my personal count of much loved and sadly dead dogs is somewhere around 12. Now watching cats die is something I could do all day long because I hate cats. They are manipulative, cold hearted, creatures. (All comments refuting my hatred of cats will be deleted so don’t bother.)

Tonight I found out that I can’t watch a medical show whose storyline consists of someone getting a raging staph infection after a surgery and almost dying. Been there, lived that with Ev about 3 years ago. Do. Not. Need. To. Watch. It. As. “Entertainment.” Nope.

The end of Braveheart, where Mel Gibson is about to be, well, you know if you saw the movie. I have a really, really strong stomach but that scene sent me running. It’s one that I wish I hadn’t even witnessed the few seconds I did see.

Anything where people are trapped into small spaces. Even worse if they are trapped in a small space underwater. Being not fond of that type of thing, I avoid it also in a moving picture context.

What is on your list of thing’s you can’t watch?  In a couple days I’ll tell you about my list of things I won’t watch and why.

Who’s Biased? Not Me!

The White House Communications Director, Anita Dunn, told CNN Sunday regarding Fox News “…what I think is fair to say about Fox, and the way we view it, is that it is more of a wing of the Republican Party." Oddly she made no mention about CNN being a wing of the Democratic Party.  Let’s just all agree to the truth, which is all network news is biased one way or the other. Good. Now that it’s out of the way….

This lead me to start thinking about bias as opposed to impartiality. Honestly, is it even possible for a human being to be totally impartial? We all have opinions on basically everything. For instance, eggplant. I think it is a yucky tasting vegetable. Now eggplant has never done anything to me. I’ve never choked on it or tripped over one and sprained an ankle. I could just ignore it but I can’t because I am not impartial about it.

I thought really hard trying to think of something I am of no opinion about. Can’t come up with a single thing. Some of you who know me well will be saying, “Duh! Because you are SO opinionated about everything!” which appears to really be true now that I am unable to find my subject-of-no-opinion.  (Feel free to help me find that elusive subject.)

Onto another subject: the use of over-familiar terms of endearment. Harold just got a voice mail from someone he doesn’t know. It started out “Hey, bud,…” That reminded me of one of my biggest pet peeves: men I don’t know who call me “hon” or “honey”. I’m twitching just thinking about it! The only group of men who can call me “hon” all they want are really old guys who have no smarmy intent. But otherwise, watch out!

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago I am writing with fountain pens most of the time now. This has led me on a hunt for the perfect red ink. There a several brands and colors to choose from. I just ordered samples of the following:

 

J. Herbin Rouge Caroubier   J. Herbin Rouge Opera

Diamine Monaco Red   Diamine Passion Red

Of course how they look on a computer screen and how they look on paper are going to be entirely different I presume. This brings to mind the Forrest Gump “life is like a box of chocolates” quote for some reason.  Speaking of chocolate, I think I’ll get up and get a piece of lovely dark chocolate that one of my students gave me Friday before their huge grammar final. If I can be bribed with anything, it’s dark chocolate!

Have an enjoyable week!

From The Dr’s Point of View

I have a lot of Dr. friends. These are caring people who aren’t in it just for the money. I know. I’ve seen them treat people (lots of people) for free and pay out of their own pockets to help those in need. All of my doc friends are vehemently against the proposed healthcare plan. They know that there needs to be reform but have legitimate fears that it will end up as screwed up as Medicaid.

I thought I’d post this story “Physicians speak out on health care bill” from The Houston Chronicle.

Physicians jammed a town hall meeting in The Woodlands on Thursday, expressing fears about the cost and effectiveness of a health care reform bill that could come up for a vote in Congress as early as September.

U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, hosted the meeting attended by about 90 physicians at Memorial Hermann Hospital-The Woodlands.

“The bottom line is that doctors don't want socialized medicine — another flawed health care system like Medicare. They don't believe it will lower the costs or improve quality,” Brady said. “Medicare is already going bankrupt and not quality care. It also shifts medical costs onto other paying customers. It needs to be fixed first.”

The bill is designed to insure 94 percent of all Americans (excluding those covered by Medicare, which kicks in at age 65) and would cost an estimated $1.5 trillion over 10 years. The revenue to pay for it would come from $544 billion over the next decade in income taxes on single people making more than $280,000 annually and couples making more than $350,000 annually; $37 billion in business taxes; $500 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid; and sizable penalties paid by individuals and employers who don't obtain coverage.

“I am very concerned about what this will cost us in terms of dollars,” said Dr. William Parker, the chief medical officer where the meeting was held. “Before this week, they did not tell us any details of the plan. We've had too little time to read, digest and discuss something that will be such a major overhaul of the health care system.”

U.S. Rep. Gene Green, a Democrat who represents a blue-collar area from Baytown to Denver Harbor east of Houston, has held four meetings on the health care plan and received mixed reviews.

“There seems to be an organized Republican effort to have people come to a Democrat's town meeting and dominate the discussions,” Green said. “Some have admitted they don't live in my area. This has never happened to me before.” (Side note: doesn’t he represent everyone in his district? Are only Dem’s allowed to attend? I’m confused.)

He plans to hold more meetings and only admit those who live in his district. Green said many citizens seem to have misconceptions about the plan. He said it will be a boost for his lower-income district, which has many more uninsured residents than The Woodlands…

Hey! We’re The Only Ones Who Can Protest!!

Wow! Protests are breaking out all over. Finally! Here is a link to the latest protest in my state which occurred yesterday. 

The Associated Press reports “White House advises Dems on health care protests”. I find that title hilarious. Like the Democrats who came into their own during the protests of the ‘60’s have forgotten what that was like? Or do they think their party is the only one who can organize protest marches, disrupt meetings, shout down speakers, etc.? Protest is allowed under our Constitution, no matter what party you belong to. I think they’re just p.o.’d that Republicans would have the audacity (hey, haven’t we heard that word before?) to protest in a manner that the Dem’s thought they had copyrighted.

The lead sentence in the AP story is this:

“Top White House officials counseled Democratic senators Thursday on coping with disruptions at public events on health care this summer, officials said, and promised the party and allies would respond with twice the force if any individual lawmaker is criticized in television advertising.”

What the heck? I get it, now we can’t criticize politicians in TV advertising. This party can sure dish it out but they can’t take an ounce of pushback! These are the people who have demonized anyone who did not and does not see it their way.

I’d like to remind you of what conservative citizens in California have suffered by the hands of Democrats when Prop 8 was on the ballot. People who donated money or otherwise supported the proposition against same sex marriage had their names and addresses published in liberal newspapers and on the Internet. Their businesses were boycotted, their churches, synagogues and mosques were desecrated. They endured threats to their lives. Now that’s something a political party can be proud of! (I will say for the record that some members of the gay community condemned these tactics.)

Peggy Noonan wrote this in her Wall Street Journal column yesterday, which was subtitled “Voters send a message to Washington and get an ugly response”:

And so the shock on the faces of Congressmen who’ve faced the grillings back home. And really, their shock is the first thing you see in the videos. They had no idea how people were feeling…

The passions of the protesters, on the other hand, are not a surprise. They hired a man to represent them in Washington. They give him a big office, a huge staff and the power to tell people what to do. They give him a car and a driver, sometimes a security detail, and a special pin showing he’s a congressman. And all they ask in return is that he see to their interests and not terrify them too much. Really, that’s all people ask. Expectations are very low. What the protesters are saying is, “You are terrifying us.”

What has been most unsettling is not the congressmen’s surprise but a hard new tone that emerged this week. The leftosphere and the liberal commentariat charged that the town hall meetings weren’t authentic, the crowds were ginned up by insurance companies, lobbyists and the Republican National Committee. But you can’t get people to leave their homes and go to a meeting with a congressman (of all people) unless they are engaged to the point of passion. And what tends to agitate people most is the idea of loss—loss of money hard earned, loss of autonomy, loss of the few things that work in a great sweeping away of those that don’t.

People are not automatons. They show up only if they care.

But most damagingly to political civility, and even our political tradition, was the new White House email address to which citizens are asked to report instances of “disinformation” in the health-care debate: If you receive an email or see something on the Web about health-care reform that seems “fishy,” you can send it to flag@whitehouse.gov. The White House said it was merely trying to fight “intentionally misleading” information. (Aside. I have a friend who suggested we all report our own blogs! I’m actually thinking about doing that. Hmmm.)

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas on Wednesday wrote to the president saying he feared that citizens’ engagement could be “chilled” by the effort. He’s right, it could. He also accused the White House of compiling an “enemies list.” If so, they’re being awfully public about it, but as Byron York at the Washington Examiner pointed, the emails collected could become a “dissident database.”

All of this is unnecessarily and unhelpfully divisive and provocative. They are mocking and menacing concerned citizens. This only makes a hot situation hotter. Is this what the president wants?

The president should call in his troops and his Congress and announce a rethinking. There are too many different bills, they’re all a thousand pages long, no one has time to read them, no one knows what’s going to be in the final one, the public is agitated, the nation’s in crisis, the timing is wrong, we’ll turn to it again—but not now. We’ll take a little longer, ponder every aspect, and make clear every complication.

You know what would happen if he did this? His numbers would go up. Even Congress’s would. Because they’d look responsive, deliberative and even wise. Discretion is the better part of valor…

Being a child of the ‘60’s who cut her political teeth on public protest & civil disobedience, I know that protests can indeed go too far. I would like to see less shouting from those opposing the current healthcare legislation and more sit-ins, which I feel would be very effective.

Remember the ‘90’s and the Operation Rescue protests at abortion clinics? We weren’t afraid to have a sit-in, get arrested and go to jail to make a point. We need to protest loudly and effectively. It worked for Gandhi, the Civil Rights Movement and it can work now.

Those who hold public office have to realize that they will lose their job if they do not represent their constituents. As I say every week: speak up! Besides, as Christians, we might as well get use to really putting ourselves on the line.

There Is a Plan

I have always been a political junkie/activist. My first memory of my political inclination was when I was in 7th grade. I led a sit-in protesting the fact that we weren’t allowed to wear pants to school. Oddly enough, the Principal compromised, letting us wear pants on Fridays which only further fueled our rebelliousness.

In eighth grade I wore a P.O.W. bracelet (Gregory Benton Jr. I still remember his name.) In ninth grade I wrote an essay on the fact that the Pledge of Allegiance wasn’t true any more. Not only did I get an F, but almost got kicked out of school. My parents met with the principal and pointed out that, while the topic was terrible, the essay was grammatically correct with no spelling errors and that I should at least get a C. In 10th grade I helped organize a local “Walk for Hunger” which was something Bobby Kennedy started. We got pledges and walked 10 miles to raise money to feed the poor. In 12th grade I wrote a poem for our high school literary magazine about one of our lecherous teachers. (Your Playboy key has rusted, your hand is on the door, Go drink your bottle of Geritol and bother me no more)  The principal wasn’t going to let me participate in graduation, even though the teacher who was the subject of the poem, told the principal not only was he not offended but he thought it was a great poem! Again my parents made the trek to the office. (By now they had a lot of practice.) My folks actually backed me up this time, saying it was free speech and there was nothing obscene in the poem, it was merely my opinion. Needless to say, I got to participate in my ceremony.

In college I volunteered at the local Free Clinic working the suicide and abortion hotlines. Part of this I am now very ashamed of as abortion had just become legal in California and I counseled many young women, presenting abortion as a viable option. (I was a card-carrying member of N.O.W. and feminist to the bone.) This one made my parents very, very angry to the point that my dad told me that if I insisted on volunteering there he wanted me out of the house.

So today, 2009 A.D., when I look at what is happening in our country and around the world I understand where the liberals/socialists are coming from. I considered myself a socialist from 11th grade until I was 23 or 24 years old. I know very well how they think, what their tactics are, and what their goal is. And, if I am not careful, I get scared, very scared, of what the future may look like. Fortunately I became a Christian when I was 22 and God has slowly but surely altered my worldview and politics.

The temptation arises often these days to be worried and fearful. Sometimes I feel like I literally have to grab the fear by the throat and declare “I will not fear because the Almighty One is in control of everything and He works all things together for good for those who love Him.” I pray. I meditate on the Bible. I center my thoughts around God and His Kingdom which will surely come no matter what the enemy does to try and stop it.

I read something on a blog yesterday that said “sometimes bad things have to happen first so that the good things will come.” They were referencing the death of Jesus which had to come before the resurrection could happen.  So I prepare my heart and mind for what may or may not come. I try and make peace with the thought that Christians in America may have their religious freedoms taken totally away. We are not so special that we will automatically escape what millions of our fellow believers endure daily around the world.

I am still political but that is secondary to being Christian. I pray for the President and Congress to be wise and make good decisions, but I also write to them when I disagree with what they do, savoring the fact that we still have freedom of speech. Conscious of that. on this blog I write about God and about politics while I still publically can. 

Most importantly I know how this all ends, being assured to my core that God will triumph over Satan and what we endure in this life is just a tiny moment compared with the eternity we will experience joyfully with our King. I leave you with this wonderful encouragement from the late S.M. Lockridge.

 

Does This Mean 1 in 3 “Christians” Have Poor Reading Comprehension?

1 in 3 'Christians' say 'Jesus sinned'
Barna poll shows adults develop their own beliefs

By Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily

Half of Americans who call themselves "Christian" don't believe Satan exists and fully one-third are confident that Jesus sinned while on Earth, according to a new Barna Group poll.

Another 40 percent say they do not have a responsibility to share their Christian faith with others, and 25 percent "dismiss the idea that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches," the organization reports.

Pollster George Barna said the results have huge implications. "Americans are increasingly comfortable picking and choosing what they deem to be helpful and accurate theological views and have become comfortable discarding the rest of the teachings in the Bible," he said. "Growing numbers of people now serve as their own theologian-in-residence," he continued. "One consequence is that Americans are embracing an unpredictable and contradictory body of beliefs."

The results are a dramatic departure from the nation's foundings, when leaders held prayer meetings in the halls of Congress and attributed to Almighty God the victory in the Revolutionary War.

Barna noted the millions of people who describe themselves as Christian and believe Jesus sinned, or those who say they will experience eternal salvation because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior, "but also believe that a person can do enough good works to earn eternal salvation."

Barna's private, non-partisan, for-profit research group in Ventura, Calif., has been studying cultural trends since 1984. For this study, the organization randomly sampled 1,004 adults across the continental U.S. The study has a margin of error of 3.2 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

For the study, "born-again Christians" were defined as people who said they had made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that was still important in their life today and who also indicated they believed that when they die they will go to heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. The results highlight the significant shift in beliefs held by Americans, the study said.

"For much of America's history, the assumption was that if you were born in America, you would affiliate with the Christian faith," the report said. Now however, "half of all adults now contend that Christianity is just one of many options that Americans choose from and that a huge majority of adults pick and choose what they believe rather than adopt a church or denomination's slate of beliefs."

Fifty percent of Americans believe Christianity no longer has a lock on people's hearts. Two-thirds of evangelical Christians (64 percent) and three out of every five Hispanics (60 percent) embraced that position, making them the groups most convinced of the shift in America's default faith.

In contrast, the poll showed the importance of belief was growing along with the number of options about what to believe.

"By an overwhelming margin – 74 percent to 23 percent – adults agreed that their religious faith was becoming even more important to them than it used to be as a source of objective and reliable moral guidance."

Forty percent of respondents who do not affiliate with Christianity confirmed the increasing influence of their beliefs.

The result "underscored the fact that people no longer look to denominations or churches to offer a slate of theological views that the individual adopts in its entirety," the report said.

By a margin of 71 percent to 26 percent adults "noted that they are personally more likely to develop their own set of religious beliefs than to accept a comprehensive set of beliefs taught by a particular church," the report said.

Nearly two-thirds of "born again Christians" adopted that stance.

"In the past, when most people determined their theological and moral points of view, the alternatives from which they chose were exclusively of Christian options - e.g., the Methodist point of view, the Baptist perspective, Catholic teaching, and so forth," Barna noted. "Today, Americans are more likely to pit a variety of non-Christian options against various Christian-based views. This has resulted in an abundance of unique worldviews based on personal combinations of theology drawn from a smattering of world religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam as well as secularism."

Sarah Palin (For Molly)

Molly left a comment yesterday that she couldn't believe I hadn't blogged about Sarah Palin yet. I've been out of town and have spent the last 2 days listening to my 86 yr. old beloved mother-in-law rant (which she rarely does) about Sarah Palin. Mom's very definite opinion is that Palin shouldn't be a governor much less a VP pick because she has 5 kids, including a 4 month old baby w. DS. Keep in mind that Mom has had a front row seat in seeing what it takes to raise a special needs child: the work, the therapy, the dedication it takes to make sure the baby gets everything needed from the start to make the path easier in future years.

While I personally love the idea of a woman VP, over the last 3 days several things have bothered me. Here they are.

1. How is she going to give Trig what he needs during the important first years of his life? Parents & professionals know how vital Early Intervention is to babies with special needs. This is hard to do without mom & dad being very hands on. Sure, a nanny or sibling or therapist could do it but part of what makes it successful is the bond between parent & child. You just can't get that a couple of hours a day. I went back to work when Evan was 18 mths. old. I got up early in the morning to do his therapies. I worked with him from the moment I got home until he went to bed. (There is a lot to do, tactile stimulation, play games that are helpful for muscle, speech & brain development, etc.) That intense period of time laid the groundwork for his success in school and now his adult life.

2. She has 5 kids. As a VP how involved is she going to be able to be in their lives? Is her husband going to become Mister Mom? What's the plan? She wouldn't be around very much. It's not like being a VP of a small company, it's the U.S.of A. for crying out loud!

And this sad news just in:

3. Her 17 year old daughter is 5 months pregnant.

All of the above, in my opinion, means that Sarah Palin has unfortunately put her political aspirations above the good of her family. Honestly, she needs to be there for her family big time right now. Not gone for 8 weeks on the campaign trail. Not holding the position of V.P. for 4 years.

Yes, women should run for political office, but not at the cost of their families. If McCain had the same stuff going on in his family, I'd say the same thing. Pull back and regroup and make sure your family is healthy first.

Our children are our responsibility, our legacy, our priority. Sarah Palin needs to remember that.

P.S. McCain can kiss the Presidency good-bye. He knew that Palin's daughter was pregnant. He's been in politics since dinosaurs roamed the earth. He had to know what a fire storm this would cause. He and Palin have exposed that poor girl to nationwide ridicule and viciousness. McCain made this decision for purely political reasons in a desperate bid to look more "current" than Obama. McCain had a lot more experienced people (women included) to pick from. If his judgement is this poor when it counts the most, I am worried what his judgement would be like as President.

P.P.S. Do they still have write-in votes???

Some Trust In Chariots

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7

and

"Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord." Is. 30:1

 

I spoke on this subject a week or so ago, but I feel compelled to come back to it briefly. Our responsibility as Christians who live in America is to use the tools God has given us: prayer, the Bible, wisdom, to help know whom He wants us to vote for as President or for any other elected office.

A good way to help discern which candidate to vote for is to perform a simple litmus test doing two things. First, find out what the candidates have voted for if they have held office previously. Not what they have said in a flowery speech or promised in an interview, but what they really have supported through their actions. Second, compare that to the values given us in the Bible. How does it stack up? Which candidate more closely follows what God says?

I will point out here that a candidate who is not a Christian may more closely follow biblical principles in their politics than one who says they are Christian. Many people will automatically vote for someone who proclaims their Christianity without examining that person's political actions. Would you buy a house based solely on what the outside looked like or would you make sure to examine the interior and check the foundation? To go strictly by appearances is foolish.

I first voted when I was 18 years old and the Vietnam war was still going. Now I am 50 and have lived through a lot of elections, people! I've seen 'em come & go, promises made & broken, promised made & kept, wars ended and wars begun.

Through all this I have come to believe that God will hold us responsible for who we back as our country's "king". Because of this, I do my best to not vote lightly, not vote my emotions or vote my party. I do my best to try to hear from God on what to do and sometimes He has surprised me! 

So this political season, do the hard thing. Dig deeper. Do your research. Don't be moved by speeches or promises from either side. Refuse to be impressed by what appears to be a show of strength. Examine the candidates. Pray and ask God for wisdom. Most of all, be open to what God may say to you, even if it goes against your party leanings. And finally,

Check the foundation!

History Has Been & Will Be Made

Tuesday night was, has already been said everywhere, a historic night for our country. An African-American is the presumptive nominee of his party for President of the United States. Those of you who are younger know that this is historical but exactly how much so will elude you. I say that not because I think you don't understand the significance of the moment but you cannot feel the moment the way those of us who lived through the turmoil of the Civil Rights era feel it.

I was 8 years old in August, 1965, when the Watts Riots occurred in Los Angeles. My parents had good friends, Ben & Pearl, who lived in Watts at the time. A couple of days after the riots my parents & I went to Watts to help them clean up. I still remember how angry Ben was that his own people burned their neighborhood down. I also remember how sad he was that his ethnic group was still having to fight for their basic rights as Americans and how that rage had turned to self-destruction of a community. Seeing the still-smoking ruins of a neighborhood was shocking to me, but I had wonderful parents who explained how God loves everyone and how we can't hate people because of the color of their skin. And, most importantly, they walked the talk! Even though I was young, they didn't try to shield me from the realities of poverty, discrimination and hatred. (And I am grateful for those lessons learned early not only in Watts but on Navajo reservations and tiny villages in Mexico.)

I have also know older African-Americans who lived in the South and were not allowed to vote without literally risking their lives. I've listened to their stories and admired their bravery and wondered if I would have been as bold. So I was glad to see on Tuesday that our country has come so far in such a relatively short amount of time.

All that being said, The Constructive Curmudgeon has a great post on presidential politics and Obama in particular which I encourage you to read. It sums up a lot of what I think. While I applaud the nomination of an African-American, I cannot applaud the man's politics or some of his moral judgements. (I will also say I'm not super-crazy about McCain but his views are more closely aligned to what I feel is important.)

We do have a responsibility as Christians to vote for the candidates who are most closely aligned to the moral absolutes God has given us. There may even be candidates who are not Christian in belief but whose ethics and morals line up with the Bible. And, as I feel the case is now, it's really almost picking the lesser of two evils.

I encourage you to pray for Obama & his family's safety during this time, and for him to draw closer to God. As much as I want change in this country, as much as I'm ready for something new and fresh, for me it unfortunately isn't going to come from the Congressman from Illinois.

Stray Thoughts

A couple news items have piqued my interest this week so I thought I'd share them with you.

The first item was an article on msnbc.com titled "As food prices spiral, farmers, others profit" . Just the title alone irritated me. I've read/seen a few articles in the last couple of months about how farmers are making big bucks, inferring that they are profiting at the expense of others. If I still lived in Los Angeles I would probably be saying "Hey! That's not fair!!" and getting all uppity about it. Fortunately I have had the privilege of living in a rural farming community for the last 17 years which has given me an entirely different perspective on things.

For instance, yes, farmers may be doing well this year but more often than not, family farming isn't a money-making venture. If you know anything about growing things, you also know that you are always at the mercy of the elements. What looks like a great crop in May can be devastated by any number of events in June, ruining the entire growing season. So I say "God bless the farmers" and I'm glad they are seeing some good profit this year. Hopefully it will make up for the years when they have lost money or barely broke even.

In my region there has been so much rain that the corn farmers are in danger of losing their crops, as the ground is too wet for the corn to grow properly. Once you have prepped the ground & planted corn, it's too late to plant something else, like soybeans. You're just out of luck. So the farmers here may not end up doing so hot this year.

If you are a city person who is unlearned in the ways of farming, just be glad that some family in the Midwest can pay off their bills from the previous years when they fed you and didn't make a profit from it. (Yes, I know about subsidies and, yes, I know about corporate farms. But I'm talking about the independent family farmer here.)

The other item that got my attention was a piece on NBC the other night that talked about how we are all suffering because we can't afford to buy (insert pricey grocery item here). Many of us have become incredibly spoiled and lost all perspective when it comes to "wants" and "needs". We have even raised our kids to think that "wants" are "needs". Well, hello reality check!

I wonder if we would be so cranky about having to "do without" if we had been through the Depression? My parents aren't complaining much about the economy. They're just adjusting like they've had to do before in their lifetime. Of course, because they went through the Depression, they have been more wise with their finances than we Baby Boomers. Their generation, generally speaking, has not taken the time of plenty for granted.

Ecclesiastes speaks eloquently about the seasons of life. In Chapter 11, Solomon says:

"Divide your investments among many places for you do not know what risks might lie ahead...Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don't know if profit will come from one activity or another-or maybe both."

I know there are people who are genuinely in need. CNN reported last night that visits to food banks are up 55% in the last few months and that a lot of those visitors are first-timers. I do believe, however, that we may have lost perspective on what we "need" to get along. Is it important to buy name-brand chips instead of store brand? Why do we feel deprived when we have to conserve our resources? Can we just acknowledge that there are economic seasons of life and we are currently in a tough time that will likely pass in a year or two?

There is an interesting article on The Art of Manliness blog about sacrifice that points out what Americans were willing to go through during WWII to help their nation. A quote from President Roosevelt really resonated with me:

Here at home everyone will have the privilege of making whatever self-denial is necessary, not only to supply our fighting men, but to keep the economic structure of our country fortified and secure during the war and after the war. This will require, of course, the abandonment not only of luxuries but of many other creature comforts….

I encourage you to read that post. It really helps put things into perspective for the sacrifices we must make during this time of war and of economic downturn.

As Christians, we have the assurance that God is the one who supplies what we need when we need it. All that we have was put into our hands because of His grace and provision towards us.

My goal is to complain less about cost of living and concentrate more on the many blessings that already are in my life. I also want to look more outside my four walls and ask God where to plant my seed so that it will do the most good.  There is always someone worse off and perhaps I can be of service to them instead of being a discouragement to myself.

Technorati Tags: economy, farming