The Recession is a Blessing

It is a time of recognition. The whole world is passing through difficult times. Some people don’t have jobs and they can’t pay their bills, nore can they buy food for their families. Some have lost their homes and they have moved away in search of hope. But I say, and maybe it’s not easy to accept, this recession is a blessing. Why? Because these difficult times give us hope.

I know many people will say, “what hope?” Hope is knowing or believing that everything will be okay. Many people have felt pressured in these days, for the lack of money in their wallets. But the money is not what they are lacking. What is lacking in the lives of these people and their families is… God.

Many people have lost the insane faith they have had in money and other material things, and are now looking for a true faith in Jesus Christ. But you shouldn’t think that after you give your life to the Lord that everything will be easy. Christians have their problems, their difficulties, and their weaknesses, too. But God guides us and helps us to see our difficulties are not so all-powerful. Our situation isn’t as grave in comparison to others. There are children without food, without homes, without families, and without faith… but you are complaining that you can’t pay the bills on your two brand new cars.

It is for that reason that this recession is helping many people. We are realizing that life is more than having more than the neighbors. We are seeing that vices like alcohol, drugs, pornography, or whatever, can’t fill that emptiness that we feel in our hearts. They can’t stop that pain. Perhaps for an hour it will help us to forget our problems, but those problems haven’t left. They are still there laughing at us and our fake “friends.” People who steer you away from the Lord are not your friends.

If you really want to fill that void in your heart, feed someone who is hungry. Talk to someone who doesn’t have friends. Of all that God gives you, share it with others. In the Gospel of Juan, he talks about the feeding of the 5000 (John 6, 5-13). He tells us that Jesus took the five loaves of bread and the two fish that the young man had given them and he shared them with everyone. If we reflect over this passage, we can see that in all of those people, after seeing the kindness and selflessness of the young man, they all took out the little that they had and shared it with everyone. That is brotherhood. That is sharing the blessings. And that can fill that emptiness that you feel in your heart.

When you die you can’t take any of your things, and for that reason it is necessary to give up the desire to have. God does not care about what you have, only what you do with what He gives you. This recession is teaching us that we should not value material things, but that we should appreciate our families and be grateful to God for everything that He has done in our lives. Ask God to open your eyes so you can see what is truly important in your life, and He will do it. Thank the Lord for this recession and may he continue to bless every one of us.