Are you facing depression and sadness due to the economy or the way things are currently going in life? I want to share with you what a friend (Gina Kay) sent me today.

It’s true.

One in ten. One… in ten… American families have missed at least one mortgage payment (http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2010/05/17/daily33.html) this year… as a Realtor, this makes my heart hurt for those in distress.

We try to go on, to ignore it, but the fact is, our neighbors (and sometimes ourselves) could be hurting financially. Oh, we tell some people if there are problems, but for the most part, financial issues as severe as the potential of losing our home simply doesn’t hit the radar.

Thanks to news stories such as the one about missed mortgage payments, our vulnerabilities are now front and center.

What to do in this time of seeming crisis? Is it truly a crisis, or a belt-tightening, a re-education of our ability to keep track of our money and direct it where it should go?

Perhaps. If we look over time at society’s dealings with issues that strike people at the heart, we find many examples… the Great Depression, the fall of Rome, the family who used to live next door and whose home is now overgrown with weeds… just like their lives may be…

There is an answer outside of simple re-education and re-working the budget, or even finding a new line of work when the old one has gone away.

There is hope.

When we speak about hope in the midst of situations that seemingly offer nothing but stress, we may sound Pollyannaish. It is now that we lean upon our God, our Christ, for strength, and upon one another.

In the words of a compassionate St. Francis: “Lord make me an instrument of thy peace… where there is despair, (let me sow) hope…” Our human partners of life in this world can often lend an encouraging word, having been through similar situations before and watching life improve over time or, as if it were a miracle, immediately upon letting our need be known.

And we lean upon our Lord, knowing that Romans chapter 8 enlightens us: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him…I am convinced that…neither the present nor the future…nor anything else in all creation will able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.”

During difficult times, God is strengthening our character by increasing our creativity to deal with situations, providing caring friends who follow His leading to help in concrete ways, and guides us to paths we may not have chosen without the difficulty being in our lives.

Jeremiah the Prophet cried out in his trials “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: the unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day.” (Lamentations 3: 21-23).

That same love promises God’s provision for our needs (not our wants, like that pretty little red convertible… but I digress…) Philippians 4:19 tells us “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

It may seem dark for now, and the future foreboding. God’s love and the love of those He leads is there in front of you… beside you and all around you… Peace.

After reading this, I took the time to ponder and think about things in life. I realized that we are never alone. Also, what I may be dealing with, there are others out there dealing with alot more. I hope you find this helpful in your daily struggles.

Thank you Gina Kay!