An Opportunity for Learning

I was talking with a friend of mine last month about home mortgage interest rates. We were discussing how low interest rates are today. Back in the 1980's he and his wife were looking to buy a home and the rates were between 18 and 20 percent!

Recently, I heard that rates are now between 4.5 and 4.9 percent. Just last week I heard someone offering a 3.9 percent rate. These recent rates are certainly a lot lower than they were in the 1980's.

Add to that the continuing number of foreclosures happening all over the country. The prices of houses have dropped drastically. My sister-in-law works for a title company and she recently oversaw an auction. Houses that sold two years ago for close to $300,000 sold at that auction for $45,000.

Meanwhile, the auto industry is trying desperately to move inventory, offering some great incentives. In the past, you could choose from one or two incentives: factory rebate, employee pricing, or zero percent financing. Last week I heard that one of the major dealers is now offering all three incentives. They noted that a new vehicle priced at $30,000 could be purchased for around $23,000 with financing for four years.

Retail stores around the country are also trying to offer bargains to increase slumping sales. Prices have been reduced and incentives are being offered all in an effort to generate sales.

There really are some fabulous deals available, most notably in the housing market. The problem is that, for one reason or another, most people cannot take advantage of the savings. They are simply not in a position to spend.

Now, here is my point. About a year ago, I heard someone say that a recession is simply a garage sale for the wealthy. Those who have saved and have some accessible cash can really take advantage of some of the situations going on in our country. In doing that, for them, it would be a wise investment.

There will always be upturns and downturns in our economy. Life has an ebb and flow. This economy will turn around and we will again see another upturn. Now is a great opportunity to teach our children and our grandchildren. Now is the time to teach them how to be sufficient whether in a downturn, upturn or in a static economy.

We can to teach them about cycles in the economy. We can encourage them to live on less than they earn. We can encourage them not to get into debt. We can show them how valuable it will be for them to have accessible cash when the next downturn comes.

When so many others look to the government for a "bail out," you can instead teach God's laws of prosperity, including giving and receiving. When others spend their time blaming everybody for this "economic mess," you can teach instead solid principles of stewardship. When others are so full of fear and uncertainty, you can teach the value of having confidence and trust in God.

There is a story in the Bible about a master who gave three of his servants some finances to take care of, each according to his ability. After some time, the master returned and the servants gave an account for what they had done.

The man who had received five talents had increased it to ten. He was praised for his good stewardship. The man who had been given two talents had increased it to four talents. He also was praised for his good stewardship.

But the man who had been given one talent, for fear of loosing it, buried it until the man returned. He showed the master that the one talent was still there. The master promptly reproved him for his poor stewardship. He even reminded him that he could have at least put it in the bank to earn a little bit of interest.

The master then took the one talent away from him and gave it to the man who now had ten. Now today of course, this is not the politically correct thing to do. What most people would consider fair, since there are now 15 talents total, would be to give each of the three servants 5. That way, no one has to feel bad.

The truth is that we all need to take responsibility for our own actions. One of the biggest problems in our country is that because of credit, people can live beyond their means. They can have things that they cannot afford. Credit card companies have enslaved millions of people.

It is never too late to make some changes and start applying solid principles of stewardship. Sometimes the changes can seem to be difficult at the onset, but they will reap great benefits in the years to come.

Teach your children and grandchildren some great lessons. Most of them do not have any concept of a downturn. They haven't lived long enough. But, they are certainly hearing a lot of news these days. It is a great opportunity for learning.