This article was written by my son and of course I am honored to post it on my blog. I am proud of what he has to say:
Well a jolly good start, in comes a new year and a new hope. Not looking at the financial aspect, or at what our government has tried to do to jump start the system, simply looking at the hope communicated. Just looking what the media and our leaders are saying and pointing out. The message is simple; a new year changes everything. We all want the problems of 08 to stay in the past, and to start new in 09. Despite the fact that, as anticipated, this Christmas shopping year was the worst in decades the market too is hoping for blue skies ahead.
Happy talk, the concept of bringing good news where it is wanted, whether it is needed or not. We are all hoping that’s not what is happening, that we really have seen the bottom and we are coming out of all of the troubles last year. Still you can see that desire even in this article as Fred Dickson says “here's a psychological lift to starting off the year on solid footing." there is a desire to look at the bright side and for everyone to spend, lend and quote, shift us back up to our potential. One of the most watched statistics is the consumer confidence level, and this is the goal to boost that level in order to get us spending again so that nothing has to change. I guess it is as close to looking into the future as we can get. By glancing at how consumers are feeling they decide on whether they need more products, what orders to place and maybe even if they need to make some hard designs. Yet, it is not the future for no man really knows what tomorrow holds.
About this time, I am most likely sounding as if I not only think the glass is half-empty but that we need to worry because it is almost gone. That is simply not the truth I am glad the market is off to a good start and I would love for the economy to pick back up us to get our jobs back and just hit a restart button on last year. What I am longing to hear is not that we need change, or that it is not that bad. We need to hear a solution to what is happening, and I am not talking about a quick fix, about the short term, about re-inflating a dangerous bubble. No, I am talking about a true solution, for our leaders to start leading the way into the New Year. Not by saying it is all ok, putting on a new suit and trying to look as though it is not happening, but setting the example taking off the jacket rolling up the sleeves and getting to work. For our leaders must be willing to do what needs to be done, not to be afraid to offend some people, if it is what we need! But I am getting off topic, the point is that there is a lot of talk and still no one knows without a doubt what will be done.
I said that no man knows what the futures holds and I meant it. No human knowledge can look into tomorrow and know what to do today. Yet for the Christian we know that there is one whose Vision time cannot cloud out. We recognize that Our Lord knows what is to come, as well as what has passed. Though it looks dark, we know that if we trust in the Lord we cannot go wrong. If we put our trust in the Lord, we will be all right. We can put our trust in the Lord, knowing that in our darkest hour He is with us. We can trust that The Lord rises up leaders. The Lord works in the hearts of kings. The Lord used Babylon to bring Israel back to Him, He used a Roman Emperor to bring Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem where Jesus was to be born. The Lord can use who He wants to accomplish His will. Trust in The Lord, not in a candidate or some piece of Monetary Policy. We don’t know, maybe 09 will be the year we have been waiting on for 2000 years, the year he brings us all home. What we do know is that the old year is over a new year is here. Although there is nothing magical about January 1 it does have a since of a clean slate ready for what the Lord will do. So as we start a new year don’t put your trust in what people say or do, and whether this is the time we are pulling up or if we have to go farther down before we start to come up, nevertheless trust in the Lord.
By Dubin Marks
