How Would You Respond?

A friend recently sent me an email forward where a preacher lady was proclaiming a coming famine to the United States. My friend asked me what I thought about the message. After checking the Snopes link in the message and pondering what was presented, I wrote my thoughts and sent them back to her. Then I realized that much of America is struggling with these same fears right now because of the economic doom and gloom being broadcast all over our airwaves. Here's what I said:

We attract what we believe in. If we believe deeply that a great famine is coming, then we will get one. If we believe just as intently that God is a God of abundance, then we will have and live in abundance. I'm going for the latter idea. There are many people in this country who are already living in famine and have been for years. Just as many live in abundance, and no matter how much they are taxed or donate to the poor, the poor stay poor, and the wealthy continue to generate wealth. It is a state of mind. I for one am wealthy beyond anything my parents could have imagined (although I think Dad believes he's pretty wealthy, too). I am sometimes a bit cash strapped, but we have always had a means to acquire what we need and usually what we want.

I have recently been drawn back to nature. Maybe it is mid-life realization that there is more to life than chasing rats in a rat-race. Or, maybe it is God's leading me in a direction that will allow him to provide for my family's needs much easier. I have a strong urge to grow my own food, and generate my own energy to supply my needs in a much smaller house than what I currently occupy. I want to be self sufficient. I believe God is giving me the tools I need to be successful in that area. I think He is showing me His nature through my spending time in nature.

I decided quite a while back that I wasn't going to play the panic card. I don't watch the news much if at all. Weather is about it. I hardly knew we had hurricanes coming earlier. While I don't intend to bury my head in the sand, I also choose not to worry about or stress over those things I cannot control. I am much happier that way.

I enjoy being challenged about what I think and believe. The older I get, the less solid some of my beliefs become. If anything, I'm solidly shiftable at this point. I realize that I don't know everything, and I am just now at a point in my life where I can hear God lead me and guide me. In other words, I am just now becoming teachable.

Where are you? If someone presents you with an idea that challenges your belief system, how do you respond? What do you believe about the future of America? Are you a future-builder or a doomsday predictor?