Tough Times

Christian Working Woman Transcript

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 - Do's and Don'ts: When Times Are Tough

Almost every day we hear about the financial hardships of our times: Mortgage failures, gas prices rising dramatically, food costs increasing, and most of us are feeling the squeeze.

It can be tempting in tough times to stick your head in the sand and live in denial—like an ostrich. To postpone the inevitable by refusing to face the music and make some needed changes. But just because you don’t see the danger coming doesn’t make it disappear. Acting like ostriches is not a smart thing to do. We need to keep our eyes and ears open and make sure we understand all we can about the hard times so we can make good decisions.

You remember Joseph, after he became second in command to the Pharoah, when God revealed to him that there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, he made a strategic plan to save during the years of plenty so there would be enough to eat during the famine. If he had lived in denial and refused to plan for the future, it would have been a tragedy for the whole country, as well as his own family.

Even during tough times, there are opportunities and possibilities which you’ll miss if you’re sticking your head in the sand. Proverbs 20:13 says, Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread. If you’re facing some financial hard times now, have you been keeping your eyes open for new opportunities? You know, people still get hired, promotions are still awarded, raises are still given even in tough times. But if you’re not looking for those opportunities because they are few and far between, you could be missing out on some good things.

Also, it is during these tough times that we can truly grow in our knowledge of God and in learning to trust him at a deeper level. The Psalmist wrote: It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes (Psalm 119:71). Think in your own life: Is it not true that when you have gone through some tough times, you look back and see that it was actually good for you, because you learned to trust God. Oh, you wouldn’t want to do it again, but you can say with the Psalmist that it was good for you.