Woe is me

I visited several of my friends in the Keys on my recent trip home. Overall the mood was depressed. The Keys have been especially hard hit by our faltering economy. Tourism is the lifeblood of our little community and not many tourists can afford Keys vacations right now. Consequently boat captains, mates, restaurants, gift shops, and hotel and motel employees are suffering. The sub-prime mortgage problem has hit south Florida especially hard and many people are close to losing their homes. Several of my friends sell boats for a living and with fuel prices and the faltering economy it is looking pretty grim right now.

I was talking to a good friend of mine who happens to sell boats about the situation down there and he was really worried. He has been the number one sales person for the boat company for which he works for over ten years and in fact sold me two boats. The owner has already had to lay off several employees and he fears that he might be next.

Hmmm I hear this defeatist attitude all too often and it is disturbing to me. I told him that when I look back on my life when I started, that I was far worse off than him and I made out just fine. I was a drug addict, alcoholic, penniless, homeless, and uneducated, had a long police record, had been kicked out of the military as a diagnosed sociopath, and knew not one single person in Atlanta. I did not however dwell on all of the obstacles facing me and sit around singing “Poor little ole me”. I looked forward and not back. I was determined to succeed and I knew that I would not start at the top. I was not too proud to perform manual labor and took any job that paid cold hard cash. I started out working menial jobs, but I assure you that I worked much harder and smarter than my peers and I was always looking for ways to advance and I found them and took advantage of them.

I told my friend that it is a complete waste of time to worry. In the first place he might not get laid off, so why waste all of that time thinking about it when he could think of things that might actually help his situation like selling more boats. Perhaps prices could be lowered and they may not make as much in times past, but it could get some income flowing. I told him to get out his contact list and start cold calling folks and tell them about the wonderful deals that he has for them. Simultaneously perhaps he could supplement his income in other ways. He is an excellent photographer and has published many of his photographs and had them in galleries. Find some more galleries and put some photos in on consignment. He has tons of friends and acquaintances and is an outstanding bone fisherman, has a boat, and could guide as well as anyone in the Keys. Call some buddies and tell them that he has some openings on his off days and “Guess what?” he can take them fishing at a discounted rate!

He is intelligent, articulate, and could really advance in many different directions if he would just give it some thought and effort. I told him that he should consider trying several different things to supplement his declining income in his main profession. I encouraged him to put the same amount of effort that he was wasting in feeling sorry for himself and time that he is squandering talking to others and comparing similar tales of woe into figuring out how he could beat this bad economy and to work and not worry! There is always opportunity in this world and trust me there are those who are making out like bandits in this bad economy.

The Bible has much to say about worry and it is without question a sin that Jesus Himself addressed more than once. Worry accomplishes nothing positive and can really be devastating to one’s health, both mental and otherwise. I believe that depression is caused from worry and is one of the more serious consequences of this sin.

Keep in mind always that God is in control and not you. (That is a GOOD thing!) Things will work out. Yes you might experience a little or maybe even a lot of discomfort. So what? There are plenty of people in the same situation and many are far worse. Life cannot always be a bed of roses and hard times make one appreciate the good times all the more when the sun comes out again. Life always consists of both. Personally hard times always made me work all the harder to find ways to beat the odds. Look at it as a challenge. You might have to work three jobs, but spend your waking hours figuring out what people need in this bad economy and how you can provide it to them and make money in so doing. Also look at your spending. We can all cut expenses; don’t eat out as much, be thrifty, and work off a budget. Be creative.

Most of all turn to God in hard times. He wants you to succeed and not be defeated by satan. Remember no matter how bad your situation may seem that it simply pales into insignificance to my situation when I arrived on Luckey Street in Atlanta. I made out fine and so will you. Don’t plead for God to lay a million bucks on your doorstep or let you hit the lottery; it ain’t gonna happen! Instead ask God to send an opportunity your way and when you see it do something with it. Opportunity is like a taxicab; when one pulls up either get in or you will have to wait on another and it just might be a cold and long wait before another one appears Remember God does not provide the work just the opportunity. You will need to provide the work and perseverance and remember what the Bible so eloquently states: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. All things? Yep, ALL things! Including resolving your current dilemma, provided that you focus on Him and put Him FIRST in your life

Matt. 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness and all
These things will be added to you.
Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry
about its own things. Sufficient for
the day is its own trouble.