We're in the beginning stages of our stewardship campaign for this year. In the next month, we'll be making our pledges for our giving to the church for next year. Considering the bleak news about the global financial meltdown, our timing doesn't seem too good.
The causes of the current economic crisis are many and varied, and there's plenty of blame to go around. But it does raise questions about our relationship with money.
In the last fifteen years, our economy has soared as we have increased our personal and national debt. I wonder if we've become so obsessed with prosperity and growth that we've neglected basic values like hard work, delayed gratification, and sacrifice. We've become so delighted with rising real estate values and a soaring stock market that we take it for granted that our prosperity will always increase.
Now that's all being questioned and we may be entering a period of recession. A recession is a necessary period of devaluation to return the markets to their true value. A recession forces us to recognize economic realities.
Maybe next time around we'll be more wary about our personal and national indebtedness. The bailout of enormous firms that were overvalued makes us realize how important it is for us to live within our means.
Financial penance is similar to spiritual penance. When we realize the error of our ways, the door is open for transformation and growth. It seems that we're in a period of national economic penance, and I'm hopeful it will lead to a re-examination of our values.
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