Psalm 40

I, along with most people, have been pondering the times we are in. It feels like limbo...waiting for it to get better, wondering what will happen, and hoping for the best. What is up with the bail outs, the gas price fluctuation, the cost of chicken alone is astonishing, bankruptcy, job loss...good grief! Not sure if everyone can feel the change, but there seems to have been a seismic shift in our thought process….postponing vacations, cutting coupons, cooking at home, justifying expenses, cutting cable bills, shamelessly asking friends to babysit for free, etc. We are obviously driven by fear in a lot of this…actually they are all things we probably should have been doing a long time ago as a normal best practice. The economic fall has felt slow but the change, at least for my family has been swift. Since I have been back to work, I have had my head down trying to focus on getting into a routine, saving money, wondering why it's so hard to avoid Target, trying to figure out how to cook and managing this extra daycare payment. When I finally looked up…I realized that everyone is doing the same things…somewhere along the line we all got equal.
I have never been one to cut coupons. I always wonder how people have time for all the cutting and planning. Now I know…I have time because I want my kids to go to college and I need food. It does take quite a bit longer...I have about 100 coupons in an envelope. I usually pilfer through my coupons in the middle of the aisle...those wiley little things fall all over the place! My "system" is to move coupons that I am using from one pocket to another. The folks around me are very patient because they are all in the same boat...a fistful of coupons and clogging up aisles wondering if they should buy the name brand or no name brand...one of which is 2 cents cheaper...I vote for name brand especially if it's ketchup (Heinz all the way baby!) So, to remedy this I have purchased the "Couponizer" Coupon Organizer (feel free to chuckle here) which I do realize will be another post completely at some point. We went to dinner at a friend's house...rather then letting them do it all, we all brought something and then discussed all the ways we are trying to save money. Promising to not allow the other to go hungry or homeless if it gets that disastrous, disclosing our "back up plans" and how they involve moving back in with mom and dad...again, we are equal. There's comfort here in friends being equal...admitting that it's kinda scary.
Being inundated with financial fear at every turn is hard, but honestly, in my heart...I am completely at peace. I know in my heart of hearts that my God will help me when I call. This is where things aren't so equal because for those people that don't believe...all they have is themselves and that is a scary place to be. Which brings me to Psalm 40...prompted by listening to "40" by U2....the first few verses go something like this: "I waited patiently for the Lord he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." Read it...you will feel better....