Monday, October 20, 2008

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall?

We usually picture Humpty Dumpty as an egg, right? Well, I've been thinking about the Humpster lately, given this global economic crisis we're in...I think much of the problem stems from EXCESS at a variety of levels: government, corporate, and...if I look in the mirror, personal. Things have been pretty smooth sailing in our economy for the past 20-25 years. Along the way, most of us have bought into a "more is better" line of thinking...I'm convinced that if at a fork in the road you find a signpost marked "more" and choose that path, it never ends...So, now we're dealing with the consequences of these excesses. It seems like the first two stages of grief have been experienced by most Americans either individually or collectively: Denial and anger...now we are finally beginning to ask, "Now what?" Well, without getting too embedded in the, "How did this happen?" and, "Where is this going?" conversations, it seems people genuinely are beginning to think about tightening their belts. This is a good thing...if we all follow suit, maybe we can come to a point where we can think in terms of "economic sustainability"...During the last month, I've had this picture in my mind that has helped me with perspective...the picture is of a 10 or 12-year old boy in Uganda (I call him "David"). David has lost both parents to AIDS and is responsible for his 5-year old brother and 3-year old sister. So, I call David on the cell phone and say, "David, you wouldn't believe this economic crisis we're in the midst of..." David looks at the phone and says, "Crisis...what crisis?" Maybe it's times like these where our lives (like Humpty Dumpty) crack open...and maybe when lives crack open, there is more room for more of God...will I give him that space? In that sense, I believe he wants us to have MORE...of him...

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