Holding on for Dear Life

It seemed like it wasn’t too many years ago we were enjoying prosperous living. Economy was doing well, and most everybody seemed to enjoy life. I still remember a conversation with a friend about the stock market during the zenith years. I said: “Watch, the NASDAQ is going to hit 4000 before you know it.” Wow! Good thing that I’m not a financial consultant. That “prophecy” of mine never came to pass. I’d better stick to explaining the “prophecies” of the Bible instead.

I was captured by the featured title of March Time magazine—Holding on for Dear Life. The articles circled around the topic of the current economic situation we are in. It is difficult for anyone to completely analyze the main source of this global economic meltdown. One thing many people anticipate is that it will get worse before it will get better. As far as I can remember, and I have lived in California for many years, I can’t recall having an unemployment rate being close to 10%! It means one out of ten people is out of a job! If you still hold on to a job, you have plenty of reasons to be thankful.

Amidst the massive layoffs, foreclosures, and other horrible financial news, we heard Bernard Madoff scamming 50 Billion—a figure I can’t really comprehend. Then we heard the AIG mess—giving out bonuses to those who brought in businesses that sank the company. We also heard many CEOs continuing to make their millions, which they probably don’t need to survive, while at the same time laying off many employees who most probably need their jobs to pay for their mortgages. Needless to say, all these created stress and frustration. We are living in an unfair and volatile world, both political and economical. The caption from one of the feature articles in Time magazine reads, “One false step, one fierce wind, and a lifetime of work and hope can all come crashing down.” Isn’t it true? What is our security?

Yes, we do need to hold on for dear life. I can imagine a man rock climbing, holding on to a rope anchored at the top of a cliff. He has nothing else to save him from crashing down other than the rope and little clefts here and there to rest his feet from time to time. But in reality he can’t tell whether the rope is firmly secured at the top. I think this is a good imagery. If you hold on to a rope that isn’t securely fastened, you will have a free fall when you place your whole body weight on the rope. You will come crashing down. And this is what we see today. Many people are holding on to the false hope and insecure ropes, like money, power and fame. They can all vanish in a short time. Like bubbles, they burst if you squeeze them too hard. Therefore, hold on to them lightly; control them instead of being controlled by them.

Before I sign off, I would like to suggest to you that the Bible offers us a great formula to hold on for dear life. It is recorded in I Timothy 6:6. It says, “godliness and contentment is great gain.” A healthy relationship with God plus a sense of satisfaction is great gain. What will you gain? You will gain survival skill. I hope you will hold on this rope.