Feature Blogger of the Month
This is the second installment to the passage I (Gossiper) shared a couple of weeks ago that my sister, Michele Purvey, wrote. It’s so powerful & relevant to all of our lives today that I decided to post it as a feature blog for this month. Michele has discovered her gift to inspire others through her encouraging words, and she finds great joy in doing so. She is an active member in her church in Oklahoma City, Okla., and an active member in the Sigma Sigma Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Michele keeps the Lord the head of her life as she serves as a mother & wife, as well as a positive influence in her community.
Unless you have been living under a rock, then you know that the United States is in a bad economic state. And those issues are starting to manifest at the consumer level – that’s you and me. Climbing credit card interest rates, home foreclosures, depleting 401(k) accounts, job layoffs, pay cuts, volatile stock market, and inflation are things that are causing us to make some changes to our lifestyles.
This may mean cutting back on the things we sometimes hold dear to us like trips to the mall just for fun, going out to eat multiple times a week, taking lavish vacations and so on. For some, it may require more drastic cuts to the budget, but no matter how tight we have to cinch our belts, we must not lose hope.
We have all seen the stories of people who have lost money in the stock market or lost their jobs and homes and they have committed suicide and even worse, have taken other lives with them. When I see these stories I always shake my head and can’t understand why people would do that. Then I realize why they do these atrocious things. It has to be because they do not have a relationship with God and Jesus Christ. Because if they did, these material things that they have lost would mean nothing to them for they would know where their true treasure lies.
For those of you who are in the “valley of financial unrest”, do not despair. I already told you in a previous post to “Pray About Everything”. Well if you continue to read Philippians 4, Paul tells us how to be content in whatever circumstance you find yourself in:
I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. (v. 11-13)
You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes! (v. 19-20)
One of my good friends recently told me this:
We are all susceptible to the wrath of this corrupt economy “man” has created. But the great news is that we serve the “Creator” of this universe and do understand that “He” is bigger and greater than our circumstance. God is faithful and wise and powerful to the utmost.
So continue to lean and depend on the Lord. He will supply your need (not your greed). We serve a God who is recession-proof.
-Michele
2 comments
Permalink1
I was really going through a rough time due to a mistake that I made with one of my bank account and incurred a huge amount of overdraft fees. After explaining the mistake made with the bank, in hopes of refunding the fees, the bank decided not to. I was literally prepared to cut my nose off to spite my face by moving multiple bank accounts to another bank; which would have been a pain due to the number of automatic drafts that come from the account.
However, after reading the post, I have decided to just leave it alone. Just learn to accept that sometimes, it is what it is.
Permalink2
I am SOOO learning that we serve a recession proof God and I am striving to get on her level with learning to be content no matter what situation I am in!