What Recession???

Movies, tv shows and all sorts of reports surfacing over the internet and the more traditional avenues of spreading news (newspaper, radio, magazines) have been bombarding us with doom and gloom on our economy. Foreclosures, job loss and such seem to support this claim but I must say that for a resident alien like me(I wonder why they still question the existence of aliens!) America hasn’t struck rock bottom.

Let me tell you why I think things haven’t changed much. Check out craigslist and you’ll see all sorts of free stuff in appliances, furniture and everything in-between. Walk around your neighborhood and you will see couches, tvs, computers, and all sorts of things left out. Go to the Philippines and all these stuff won’t stay out for long. Here, it is a sore in the eye to have items left out. They’re garbage…although it is still treasure to some. Notice how many garage/yard sales are out there? Hold on, it’s not a support to the recession obsession but a simple over abundance of stuff that’s just left gathering dust. Whatever money you get , it would probably just be enough for some dollar menu unless you really have a lot of junk.

I’m thinking that if I were to go home to the Philippines and start a Pennysaver version …wait…that reminds me of how much junk mail we get. Advertisement of groceries, stores and their “discounts.” Everything out there telling us, the consumer, that we’re going to get our money’s worth. Paper waste….not to mention the waste in food. How can you say America is in recession when there is no change happening in these areas? Don’t tell me that it hasn’t changed because the people in power don’t want change. Believe me, change happens when it is necessary. Remember how they say that invention is the creation of necessity? Such is change in my opinion.

There’s another American thing that I think tells me why there’s no such thing as recession. Those water fountains still hold money. Sure, it’s probably mostly pennies, several dimes, nickels and a few quarters. But, I’d say that tossing of coin would probably be a fond memory if things were really hard on Americans. Don’t you think that the theme parks would probably decline in number of visitors? Someone might argue that movies and other attractions, have even sky-rocketed because people want to escape from the reality of hard times. I would think people would start planting in their own backyard and start cooking their meals again if there’s really this money issue. Unless of course there is an epidemic of spending that seriously claim most Americans. This I would gladly have to agree on because credit card debt is something that many face.

Let’s look at more established institutions here like Goodwill or Ebay. On one hand there is a solution to unwanted property while on the other one makes profit. But what are these items? Material stuff that is expendable. You’d even be surprised at what people are willing to pay for certain items and even go to extra lengths just to claim things that become their prized possessions.

That’s just it…nothing has changed since I’ve been here for almost a decade now. People spend, incur debt, acquire things they really don’t need and then try to make some profit out of these items just to get other junk.

Matthew 6:20 tell us to lay up treasures in heaven. Do we really trust God in this “economic crisis” that the country is having? Or do we turn to good old food cravings and entertainment to deal with things? Eat-all you can, super-sized food, tons of media attractions and a host of wonderful events like concerts at the beach,park, library and many others that are even free…they are still but a fleeting source of happiness.

The recession I am afraid of is that of real people. With the emergence of social net-working sites, chat, texting and email; in the fast development of modern technology in our medium of communication, there still seems to be a recession in
good relationships. We hear more about identity theft, divorce, and some television programs even seem to glorify the life of a con artist.

Should we stop doing certain things in order to focus on working out relationships? I think not. Recession or no recession, we can live as luxurious as we want but we must always remember what the most important things in life are.And, as we most gladly would like to believe in(by having a number of “friends” on our list),it is in having real relationships, those that make us grow as individuals that really matter.

I pray that we all have an abundance of true friends, but most of all,may we always remember the Best Friend we have in Jesus.In Him there is really no such thing as recession. He owns everything, even you and me.
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