by John Grant
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney
“But store up for yourself treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” Matthew 6:20
What a financial roller coaster this past year has been. The real estate market has tanked, 401k’s have become 201k’s and it seems like no one has escaped this past year’s economic devastation, as unemployment is up and the stock market is down.
The banking industry has been hit hard. I remember when if you opened an account they would give you a new toaster. Now, I heard that if you buy a toaster, they will give you a bank!
It seems like we all have less than we had and the real question on everyone’s mind is where if a safe place to keep it. Will Rogers, that great cowboy humorist, once said that he was more concerned with the return of his investment than the return on his investment. Maybe burying your cash in a coffee can in the back yard or stashing it under a mattress isn’t such a bad after all, but even the dollar is taking its hits.
I recently read where the purchase of home safes had reached an all time high. People just don’t trust financial institutions anymore and are choosing to keep their assets in their own hands. By keeping assets in your own safe, you may not make any interest, but at least your cash is safe.
But maybe, really those assets are not all that important anyway. The world has tricked us into believing that the more we have the happier we are. We buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t like.
Like many, I have lost a lot in the recent past. I realized how much when I had to recently do a current financial statement for my bank. I compared it with the last OE and looked at the figure I had lost and I remember thinking that if someone had suggested two years ago that I give that amount to the Kingdom, I would have said, ‘no way‘. I could not afford to live on what was left over. But guess what: It’s gone and I am living on what is left. It is an experience that has really helped me understand what it means to be a generous giver.
More than a hundred years ago, Thomas Chisholm wrote “All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is The faithfulness, Lord unto me”
The moral compass of my life, the Holy Bible, says that my God will supply all of my needs and I should share the surplus with those who need it more. Believe it and practice it and your life will take on a new dimension.
(a thought on life from John Grant)