Real Answers™jj134Copyright: ©2008 James J. Jackson615 words
SEEKING SAFE INVESTMENTS DURING ECONOMIC TURMOIL
By: James J. Jackson
The current economic climate has people literally worried sick. Extremely erratic world markets make investors jumpy. Some are considering withdrawing their funds and burying their money in the back yard in glass jars. In fact, the evening news recently reported a noticeable increase in the sales of glass jars.
Trillions of dollars of wealth have been lost in only a few months. The usual finger-pointing has begun, blaming one political party or the other, Big Oil, Big _____ (fill in the blank), etc. This current economic downturn, however, appears to be world-wide, and not the fault of any political party or industry giant.
The fact that no one is able to offer a viable solution is frightening to the private sector. There is much hand-wringing, as helpless investors tearfully watch their nest egg evaporate before their eyes. There is a rising fear of another Great Depression.
While in college, I worked at the Chicago branch of the Federal Reserve Bank. Some of the ’old timers’ remembered the Depression. They said they had watched from the windows of the Fed building as people who had lost everything in the stock markets jumped to their deaths from the Chicago Board of Trade building. It was frightening to look at that building and imagine people committing suicide because of financial ruin.
It was disturbing to think that people loved their money to that extreme. I recall deciding right then and there that, as for me, I would never let any circumstance make me even consider such an act. A chapter in my book, ‘In All Things..’ (Tate Publishing, 2008), entitled, “Suicide: A Permanent Solution to a Temporary Problem”; I discuss the after-effects of suicide on the family left behind. I fear that, sadly, the current economy may lead to an increase of such acts of desperation.
An evangelist once stated that many people have a ‘God-shaped’ hole in their heart that they try to fill with anything but God. The truth is, only God can fill the void -- not money -- not success -- not material things. God is the only piece of the puzzle that will fit correctly, and without Him, the puzzle can never be complete. Yet, people are extremely creative in seeking other ‘pieces’ of life and trying to cram them into the space that only the Lord can fill.
There is nothing wrong with storing up wealth for the future, or setting aside a ‘nest egg’ for old age. In fact, it is admirable to be frugal and to save some of the fruits of our labor. It is good to invest, as Jesus demonstrated in at least one of His parables. It is when the mind-set becomes fixated on material wealth, and greed causes one to worship that wealth, and refuses to use some of it to help others, that it becomes an idol. One of the most misquoted verses in the Bible is, “…money is the root of all evil”. It actually warns that “…The love of money is the root of all evil.”
Instead of focusing upon gathering and keeping wealth, Jesus tells us in Matthew “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal…But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; …for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
If we think of our wealth as belonging to God, and entrust it to Him, we need not worry about losing it. Surrendering all to our loving Father will bring true peace, even in the face of such uncertainty.