We All Struggle

I live in a bachelor apartment and sleep on a couch that doubles as a bed. I wash my dishes in the shower and do not have a maid. I would be lying if I did not say that there were things that I want. However, in this economy I feel humbled and all of a sudden a fridge stocked with microwavable meals isn't so much to grumble about.

A lesson can take time to be fully absorbed and Americans could be in the midst of learning a great one. This lesson can't be taught in a classroom and lies deeper than the financial hardships we are facing. We find oursleves thinking, "Who caused all of this mess?" Maybe it doesn't matter who caused it but better yet what we can learn from it.

At our current state it seems the only thing we have learned is how to be experts in the field of criticism. We criticize government, church, friends, and family. We have our point our fingers placing blame on anyone but ourselves. It's inevitable our arms will grow tired. When this happens hopefully we can share a laugh, and in that laugh maybe we can learn to be thankful. Maybe we can be thankful that we are not facing piling obstacles alone. The person previously beyond your outstretched index has been with you in this trouble all along.

It wasn't so very long ago that American's were bound in a similar struggle. We were a generation transitioning from a decade of economic boom into a decade of rampant displacement. American citizens were driven from their homes, faced persistent hunger and slept in make shift camps. They were poor, but they never seemed in need. People all around were muttering "Depression" yet this generation pushed past the hardship to find true value. Fellowships were born and it wasn't uncommon to see one man give his last bit of food so that another man's hungry son could eat.

It is unfortunate that this great generation has passed. However, we can be thankful that we have not lost their stories of persistence in the face of ruin. Hardship led a generation to notice their neighbors around them, to help and join together. I pray our current hardships lead this generation to respond to the broken and the displaced in our today's and tomorrows.