Early Withdrawal - My, My, My

Luke 12:18 "This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and then I will store all my grain and my goods."

One of the dilemmas of the recession (depression?) is that the worse the news gets, the more people withdraw their money, creating even worse news . . . and so on. It's a vicious cycle of self-protection that ends up destroying the community.

In the parable of the rich fool we see the same thing. When faced with his situation ( in his case abundance), he withdraws instead of advancing the kingdom. We need to use our resources to extend, not curl up tighter. The more we have the more we 'withdraw' in the sense that we hoard and protect. When we release what we have, then if my math is correct, we have less. And if we have less, then there is less holding us in and we are able to be free from the fear that Satan tries to impose upon us. But many of us are living in fear, and fear can kill. Literally.

I read about a 79-year old woman in North Carolina who died of fear. A man broke into her home, and though he never touched her, she had a heart attack and died. The man is now being charged with felony murder: for scaring her to death.

It's not just because she was old: in Mexico City a young woman died when a man pulled a gun on her at a street light. In NH, a young boy died when a bear approached him. Though it never actually touched him, he was also in a sense scared to death. The scientific explanation is that the body will create more adrenaline and send it to areas for self-protection, but in the process it will shut down in less vital areas during extreme stress. If it's severe enough, it can overload the system and kill the body!

There is a sense of fear in these tough times, a fear that can cause us to do what the human body does - engage in self-protection and cut off the 'less vital' areas. But this can kill the body. If everyone withdraws their resources, their adrenaline, their energy in a time of trial, the body can die.

We cannot withdraw our of fear in this difficult economic trial. I can feel the pull myself: circle the wagons, strengthen my barns, protect my own. But there is a lack of trust in this thought. God wants us to use every circumstance, good or bad, to advance His kingdom, never to withdraw. We are never to be living in fear. Fear can paralyze and kill the body.

The challenge in this time is for Christians to continue to extend their arms to the poor and weak - to the less 'vital' organs - not to retreat into our barns saying, "My, my, my." Because this speaks to our true perspective and understanding of the Truth. I believe that we are tempted to disengage and self-protect because we are not truly convinced that God will take care of us and that if we empty out the barns we leave ourselves too vulnerable.

We must be willing to be left vulnerable, and follow the example of Christ who emptied Himself out for us when we were dead in our sins, unable to lift our arms to Him for help. You can really stand out in these times if you step out while everyone is withdrawing.