KERPLUNK!!!

One day Chicken Little was walking in the woods when — KERPLUNK — an acorn fell on her head. "Oh my goodness!" said Chicken Little. "The sky is falling! I must go and tell the king."

Many of us have heard the fable, The Sky Is Falling, where Chicken Little believes the sky is falling when an acorn falls on her head. As she goes to warn the King she runs into Cocky Locky, Henny Penny, Goosey Poosey and, unfortunately, Foxy Loxy. Foxy Loxy plays along with Chicken Little and the others and tells them he knows a shortcut to the King. The shortcut is really Foxy Loxy's attempt to lure all of them into his den so he can eat them. Just before they enter his den, the King's hunting dogs come growling and howling after Foxy Loxy. They chase Foxy Loxy off and Chicken Little and her friends are saved. The King gave Chicken Little an umbrella as a present so she would not have to worry about being hit on the head by falling acorns as she walked through the woods. The moral of the story is not to be so easily deceived by what happens because you can make yourself a target of somebody willing to take advantage of you.

I work in the financial services industry. All day long at my job we were bombarded by people worried about the security of their money because of the news surrounding the failed passing of the financial bailout package. I understand their concern and share it to some extent. My retirement portfolio has taken a hit as well during all the uproar. To add to my concerns was the fact that the president of my company lectured the employees about just how bad the situation is and how much worse it could get, in his opinion. There was serious, and lighthearted, talk of buying canned goods and getting guns to protect yourself from the "impending" doom. Many people also talked about which Presidential candidate they believe will get us out of this mess. While everybody must deal with this situation to the best of their ability, I was amazed at how quickly fear can creep into a person and start motivating their decisions. It pushes them to rely on anything and anyone promising relief.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4: 4-7

I called my financial advisor just to get some professional advice about what I should do with my portfolio. I did so partly because I just wanted to see how the chaos had affected my money. But, also because being surrounded by all the talk of doom and gloom began to bother me as well. There were people moving large amounts of money from one vehicle to the next trying to secure it. Others talking about moving out of the country to avoid any potential calamity. Predictions of a second Great Depression were being made. And, as I mentioned previously, the talk of buying guns, ammo and non-perishables raised its head. It is easy to get suckered into a mindset that has you relying on your own understanding and following after the desires of the flesh. First, anxiety sets in. Your mind wanders as you are fearful that you are going broke. "What am I going to do when my money runs out?" Secondly, the anxiety and fear turns to anger. As one individual, upset with the government, exclaimed, "I would fire their a**** and throw them all in jail!" And eventually, the anger turns to the third thing, concession. You end up sitting back, throwing your hands in the air, and wait to see what happens. I know there are various other reactions that can happen, but you get my point. Thankfully, I was reminded that regardless of what action, or inaction, I take, I can rest in the fact that the God of the universe indwells me and guides me from within. This truth leads me to a thankful heart as I know that regardless of the outcome of all this financial madness, I win in the end. It is that truth that makes me rejoice in the Lord and ends up guarding my heart and mind against all the things the world throws at me.

"When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near... "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Luke 21: 20, 25-28

I know it may not make sense, to those without the Lord in their life, that I would talk about rejoicing in the midst of a financial crisis. I am not rejoicing that this is happening. What I am rejoicing over is that it reminds me of where my strength comes from and that it could be a sign that my Lord is soon to return! Besides this current crisis, what else do we see happening? We see the enemies of Israel, like Iran, saber-rattling and calling for her destruction. There is the worldwide push for mankind to do something about global warming, whether the phenomena is real or not. The Indonesian Tsunami, Hurricanes Katrina and Ike and the massive earthquake in China, are just a few of the natural disasters that seem so commonplace nowadays that they don't even shock us anymore when they strike. The terror and dread can, and has, made men faint and become apprehensive over all that is going on. While this is all terrible and we should address the situations as much as possible, and with a sober mind, as Christians, we must remember that these times must happen before Jesus Christ will return to gather us. I would not be surprised to see things get decidedly worse regardless of man's best efforts to prevent them. But, I also know that we must prepare ourselves as best as possible, both financially, physically, mentally and spiritually. And it all starts with the a sure foundation in the saving life of Jesus Christ. When the acorns of life start to fall on our heads, and it looks like the sky is falling, remember the umbrella of truth provided to us in Christ Jesus. And remember that it is okay to, occassionally, peak out from underneath that umbrella and look up because our redemption is near.