Inflation Ticks Me Off
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
It would be nice if life always stayed perfect, but that hasn’t happened since the Garden of Eden. Therefore, we must strive to learn resilience. One of the latest challenges is dealing with the increased costs of most items. You go to the trouble to create a budget, and wham, prices go up substantially. The budget is trash, what we can now afford is considerably less, and it feels like the bottom has dropped out of our life.
Darius Foroux, in his article, “How to Enjoy Life When Everything is More Expensive,” provides recommendations for living a joyful life in challenging times. First, Foroux recommends making a “Shift to an acceptance mindset.” Nothing is as detrimental as constantly trying to change things beyond our control. Acceptance isn’t giving up when we cannot control the outcome anyway. Once we learn acceptance, Foroux encourages us to “Spend enough on what’s important.” The current inflation may be the opportunity to remember what is most important to us. Affirming our priorities makes it easier to cut back our spending yet continue to enjoy our life.
Next, Foroux challenges us to “Practice gratitude.” Gratitude requires us to remember. The act of remembrance is a central aspect of the Judeo-Christian faith. We are people of the Book, and the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament require the faithful to remember God’s care and the people’s gratitude in the past. Learning from the appreciation of previous generations helps us recognize God’s continued for us today. Seeing the simple blessings of enough food to eat and a roof over our head is worth sharing gratitude.
Finally, Foroux calls us to recognize that “Hard times are temporary.” If we believed great times were inevitable, we were in denial. If history teaches us anything, it reminds us that good times and bad will always be with us. In challenging times, there is joy in knowing the pain will be temporary. Today, prayerfully ask God to give us the vision to see beyond the momentary challenges. Monetary inflation may improve or even worsen, but each situation is temporary. Once we accept life’s ups and downs, we can find gratitude and God’s divine blessings.
