Different Points Of View

Recently, at some family gatherings of a friend of mine, I had the opportunity to talk to a number of different people about various topics.  The one topic that came up most often was the current economic situation in our country.

I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  Everyone has the right to think whatever they want to think.  It was interesting to me to hear different points of view all pertaining to the same subject.

On the one hand, I talked to people who are just plain scared.  One woman said that if her company went under she did not know what she was going to do.  Even though there are no signs presently that her company will go under, she was afraid that it will.  That was her point of view.

Someone else told me that things had slowed down so much with his business he didn’t think it would last much longer.  That was his point of view.

And there were of course others who were hoping that the government would quickly do something to fix everything.  They had suggestions of what the government should do or should not do.  None of them, however, mentioned that were planning on running for office so that they could try to implement their great ideas.  Those were simply their points of view.

But, some people that I talked to were not afraid.  One person was pursuing purchasing foreclosed properties that he could rent.  Another young man who just recently lost his job has secured employment in a completely different field.  He was changing from the construction business in the desert, to farming in California.  And, he loves the new work and the climate as well.

As I thought about all the people that I talked to it was very clear to me that all of their points of view were based on two things: the information that they were hearing and their response to that information.

It was pretty obvious that not everyone had immersed themselves into all the negative information currently being disseminated.  While all were quite aware that some serious situations are going on, some were not delving into that information on a regular consistent basis.  They were choosing to look at and consider other information as well.

It is difficult to remain positive when almost everything that you hear is negative.  What we feed upon has an effect on us, whether that is positive or negative.  So, it was very apparent to me what those who were negative and afraid were choosing to feed upon.

On the other hand, it was clear that some people, in spite of current situations and conditions, were taking charge of their own lives by how they are choosing to respond.

To hear some people talk, you might think that we are all going to wake up dead tomorrow morning!  But, others remain focused on living life without fear.  Those are the kind of people who don’t wait around for the government to bail them out.  Those are the kind of people who don’t wait for someone else to fix everything.  Those are the kind of people who are successful in an up economy or a down economy, all because of their point of view.

So what is your point of view?  What information do you choosing to immerse yourself into?  How do you respond day by day?  Perhaps less negative information would be helpful in gaining a positive and successful attitude.

In the Bible, God promises help, deliverance and prosperity.  None of those promises are stipulated by the state of the economy.  None of them come with disclaimers like, “Certain rules and restrictions apply,” or, “Void where prohibited,”  or, “For a limited time only.”

God’s promises are all still true.  Living with fear in the “land of negatives” will keep you from believing and accepting those promises.  But, when you choose to believe them, God brings them to pass.  He will help you, direct your steps, and show you the way.

One happy and positive gentleman that I talked to commented that when you look at God’s creation, everywhere you look you can see signs of great abundance.

So, why would we want to consider that God would not help us to have all that we need, regardless of whether the economy is up or down? That was his point of view, and that is an excellent point of view!

Mike Verdicchio