A Legacy of Faith

Today my Dad would have been 96. He lived through the Great Depression and World War II. God allowed him to live to 90. Had he kept a diary, it would have recorded an incredible amount of changes during his lifetime.

Dad had a love for family, a frugal nature and an abiding faith. "A life lived for love of God and country" was engraved on his tombstone.

When I went through his belongings after he died, it was like a journey back through my own life. He kept every picture, every letter, every gift I had ever given him - sometimes making notations of how he felt when he received them. My dad took special care to express his love to me - especially in his later years.

Like many of his generation, Dad watched every penny. He didn't replace things. He fixed them. If he needed something, he often built it out of materials he already had. When my husband discovered Dad had repaired the seat in his recliner with a piece of plywood, he bought Dad a new one. Dad would probably have never purchased a new one even if he had the money.

His mother instilled in him a love for God that dominated everything he did. As far back as I can remember, Dad was looking for the second coming of the Lord Jesus. He felt confident it would happen in his lifetime. His favorite biblical subject was prophecy and he poured over every reference in the Old and New Testament to it. He was in his eighties when he wrote a book, The Unveiling: How the Symbols of Prophecy Reveal What Happens in the Last Days. 

I miss my Dad. His legacy lives on. I will see him again.

I will always remember that his favorite verse was Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Fear and Panic Can Cloud Your Thinking

I do a lot of reading about fear - in the Bible and other sources - because fear and panic come naturally to me. I am always working to conquer both.

Although few Americans owned any stock at the time, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 was the first in a sequence of events that eventually resulted in a wide spread panic and a Great Depression that lasted well over ten years.

With their economic stability threatened, some lost their ability to reason and hope.  Some even committed suicide. 

Failures of massive financial institutions in the U.S. in the fall of 2008 began another economic worldwide crisis. The stock market crash of that year has now been described as the Wall Street Panic of 2008.

By definition, a stock market crash is a result of panic. "A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a significant cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic as much as by underlying economic factors. They often follow speculative stock market bubbles." (from Wikipedia)

Regardless of why a stock market crashes, the resulting impact is very personal. Loss of resources you have worked hard to acquire is a major blow. Having to start over again in middle age or retirement age can be devastating. 

It does take money to live. You cannot obtain food, clothing or houses without it. If you are responsible for a family, the concern is magnified. 

However, despair is not inevitable. As President Roosevelt said, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

If a major lifestyle change has become necessary for you, it need not ruin your life. Solutions begin with a positive attitude and a faith that God is with you.

The choice is yours. You can panic and lose hope or you can explore creative ways to provide what you need.

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred (Proverbs 15:16-17).

Note: This is an excerpt from Money: How to Be Rich Without It and How to Stretch It Using Ten Hints from the Past and the Technology of Today.  Money is available as an e-book and in paperback on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Money-Without-Stretch-Using-Technology/dp/1479389161
It is also available on smashwords in all digital formats:https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/221060