The economy is tough right now. It seems like every day I hear about another friend losing their job. Or gas prices rising. And let’s not even talk about the housing market. Frankly it feels as if nothing will ever change; that we’ll be stuck in this economy forever, with no hope of improvement.
And yet, it wasn’t that long ago I remember wondering if the economy would ever slow down. It seemed as if the stock market always went up, and new homes were bought just as fast as they were made.
Funny how that is.
Why do we get so caught up in The Moment™ that we convince ourselves that nothing is going to change? Peter felt that way the night they came to take Jesus to his death. He felt so strongly that things weren’t going to change that he declared nothing would shake his faith in Jesus (Mark 14: 27-31).
I think we get caught up in the moment because we lose sight of our true goal - a relationship with God that lasts forever. When we shift our focus to other places, no matter how well intentioned, we get distracted. True joy, true hope, and true happiness will never come from an economy - good or bad.
Of course I’m no better at this than anyone else. The reality is, it takes work to stay focused. Some days it’s easy. But more often than not it takes sheer will power. In the end though, reminding myself to “focus on the eternal” keeps me moving towards God. And that perspective helps me be a little more patient when life doesn’t work out the way I want.
