I drove to Washington DC at the start of the week, and as I neared the city, radio station content got more toxic. Even the “Christian” radio stations featured slanders against our government, politicians, and the President. People are flat out angry at the current condition of our country. In addition to moral decline, America is in a state of economic crisis.
I could not believe that people were suggesting that it would be better for the government to shutdown for a while, until politicians figured out what to do. I don’t know about you but I vote with the expectation that politicians are competent enough to make tough, yet wise decisions.
Among other things, a government shutdown could have meant a significant delay in our young military personnel receiving their monthly income. Many of them (especially the ones with growing families) live paycheck to paycheck and some even qualify for food stamps. That is quite shameful to begin with, especially given the current sacrifices they are making for this country.
The seriousness of our financial situation caused me to reflect on several conversations that I have had over the past few months. You may be surprised by the biggest holders of the US Government Debt. China and Japan continue to top the list by huge percentages.
Check out this article as well:
Just who owns the U.S. national debt?
I have linked some of the articles that have graphs and pictures to make the situation more real for visual learners like me. If you are interested in more data concerning the topic, simply Google, Yahoo, or Bing “Who OwnsAmerica’s Debt?”
From a perspective of spiritual warfare, Jesus spoke and said:
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Mark 3:24-25
Taking this into consideration, we (as consumers) actually contribute to the problem and work against ourselves when we consistently buy products fromChinaandJapan. While we certainly support free trade, we cannot continue to invest in countries in which we are financially enslaved.
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Prov 22:7
I am certainly not an expert in any of this, however, I am being observant and asking a lot of questions and some of this is good common sense if we paid more attention, planned our spending, and did not always opt for the convenient choices.
WEEKEND CHALLENGE: Take 5-10 minutes to check the tags in your wardrobe (don’t forget your sweaters), check the inscriptions under your dishes and house-hold appliances, and finally check the inscription on your furniture. I would image that the majority of those products were made inChina.
We have a huge financial problem on our hands and it is going to take a lot to turn it around. However, we eat elephants by taking one bite at a time. Here’s one way to get started:
If at all possible, invest in building our own house – BUY AMERICAN PRODUCTS
What else can consumers do to be part of the solution and not the problem?
© Natasha S. Robinson 2011
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A SISTA'S JOURNEY 
Natasha,
This is a HOT topic, and you know I gotta comment.
Our family was truly convicted over Prov 22:7. If you take the words literally, you don’t borrow money… for anything.
Our country’s “financial crisis,” just magnifies the state of US individual families. Most of us are broke and living paycheck to paycheck. If we were to lose our jobs, how long could we survive without borrowing? Or if we lost or jobs, would we be able to do whatever it is God is calling us to do?
We worship FICO scores and good credit more than God. It was not until I started meditating on Proverbs 22:7 that I realized how God wanted my family to handle money.
I highly recommend reading Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover.” It was the book that gave us the 100% debt free plan and clearly tied in Biblical scriptures.
Remember, 2/3s of the world LIVES on $1 a day or less. How much great work could be done for the kingdom -if only we lived completely debt free…
Best,
Gina V.
We are doing the Total Money Makeover this summer for sure. Looking forward to it!