Don't Waste the Recession

Don't Waste the Recession.

There is much good to be found in the recession, if you look in the right places. Our consumer society and economy had overheated as Americans and citizens of other developed countries craved more and more consumer goods--material objects that are purchased, used, and are eventually relegated to storage or a landfill. The hunger for an increasing amount of consumer goods led many to live beyond--well beyond--their means, often using expensive credit--money they do not yet have--to buy what they want NOW. Most of all that excess we purchased has now lost its glitter as individuals and families watch all they have worked for shrink and disappear. Vacant houses, repossessed autos, and returned “toys” are now becoming the norm for a large part of our society. The economic downturn also destroys families.

Don't Waste the Recession.

This economic "contraction" is a lesson and an opportunity. It is a lesson that, in part, reminds us that the most durable sources of joy do not come from a factory or a homebuilder. We can see (if we look) a bit more clearly, now that there are "things" that mean more and that have greater and more lasting value than "stuff." Maybe we can even learn that "he who has the most toys wins" is not at all true.

Don’t Waste the Recession.

A Baptist preacher by the name of John Piper made this list of God’s likely purposes for this recession:
1) He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing.
a) Think of Madoff, robber-baron CEO’s, and all those others who have cheated and robbed so many others. The recession has brought their transgressions to light. We now openly question: “how much is enough?
2) He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.
a) John cites how blind prosperity makes us to the miseries of the rest of the world. A mother in Ethiopia is so starved that she can’t produce enough milk to keep her baby from dieing; tens of thousands live in resettlement camps eat wild grasses and tree bark; AIDS orphans are turned into prostitutes or are forced to carry automatic weapons and kill in myriad wars. Billions ALWAYS live in a recession.
3) He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.
a) God should and can be the source of all our joy.
4) He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory.
5) He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.
a) Unbelievers as well should strive to care for the hurting members of society and to cultivate love for their fellow human beings.

Don’t Waste the Recession.

The opportunities of this recession include the potential to discover what is really important, what really matters, and what has REAL value. Then, when all of the “stuff” we once coveted is either in the junk heap or belongs to someone else, we will find that what is of REAL value is still ours and can’t be stolen, broken, trashed, or “recessioned away” from us.