All around us there are signs of our being squeezed financially. Gas is well over $3 a gallon and gold is now over $1,000 per ounce. As the pinch gets tighter we have the opportunity to evaluate what we do in our lives. When resources are not as available as they have been, we need to make decisions about what we really value. It would seem that the pinch is not yet tight enough for many of us to give up our coffee, but we are getting there. Right now we have school families who are needing more time to make their tuition payments. That's the surest sign to me of a real pinch impacting the lives of families.
How shall we deal with this recession? A few suggestions:
- Money issues tend to be the most common cause of arguments between spouses. Don't give in to that temptation. Make a decision that you (husband and wife) are more important to each other than the pressures of anything, even a financial crunch.
- If you find that you are angry (about something financial) realize that underneath the anger is fear. Once you know that you are afraid and can admit it, then you've won half of the battle. It's time, then, to look at what you are really afraid of.
- For people of good will, fear is usually connected to love. True, we can be afraid for our own skin; but good will is a movement of God's grace pulling a person to be concerned about others than oneself. So, a married couple should keep their focus on their love, realizing that the angers and fears they may be feeling are tied into their love for their family and their sense of responsibility for those whom they love.
- Lastly, perhaps this recession can help our society move away from trying too hard to prevent our children from experiencing some degree of suffering. Suffering is the crucible in which maturity happens, especially if suffering is shared among people who love each other. Protecting young people (overly much) from hardship can actually delay maturity.
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