by Lyndia Grant
Special to the NNPA from The Washington Informer
The economy in America is much better today than it was 7 or 8 years ago! There is an upswing evidenced by new homes and businesses being built; people are spending more money now, and there is definitely new growth.
Bob Deitrick, a Principal at Polaris Financial Partners, studies political parties to determine which party is better for Americans’ finances. In an article published in Forbes Magazine, Deitrick said, “President Reagan is considered the best modern-day President.”
Deitrick compared Reagan’s performance during the 1980s ‘Recession’, with that of President Obama’s term known as the ‘Great Recession.’ He said, “Regardless of Reagan’s popularity, statistics prove President Obama’s job creation surpassed that of President Reagan,”
Deitrick further asserted, “President Obama has achieved a 6.1 percent unemployment rate in his sixth year, fully one year faster than President Reagan did.
“We forecast unemployment will fall to around 5.4 percent by summer, 2015. A rate President Reagan was unable to achieve during his two terms.”
These improvements in the economy do exist, which means millions are now getting their lives back again. On the other-hand, there are tens-of-thousands of you who have storms of life issues raging; you’ve lost homes, you’ve lost loved ones, or you lost your job and you’re living with relatives or friends. Things just have not been the same for you for one-reason-or-another for years now. And to you, it may feel like God has forgotten about you.
He hasn’t!
Be very careful with how you think. Happy, loving and caring thoughts are of God, but the dark side is not; and when that negative thought pattern continues for long periods, that thinking can be detrimental; so ‘shake the devil off!’
There is a scripture, Ephesians 6:12, which says: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Folks, when we allow negative thinking to persist, it is often catastrophic. According to data collected by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2013, mortality in the U.S., including deaths by suicide, ranked higher than cancer and heart disease-related deaths, and accounted for more years of life lost than any other cause of death, because many were so young. The CDC statistics shows 41,149 suicides were reported, making suicide the 10th leading cause of death for Americans.
Here is where I’d like to encourage those of you who are feeling downtrodden: keep your hand in God’s hand. It really doesn’t matter what’s going on; the Lord will fix it for you.
Don’t allow your dire circumstances to cause you to take your own life, and watch out for your teen-age children, too; there are so many of them hurting, as well. No storm continues to rage; the winds will subside; clouds will clear; and the sun surely returns, so use mother earth’s model. Green grass grows after much rain; but those who take their own lives – well that will be forever.
Like the lyrics from my favorite Shirley Caesar song, which says, “He’ll Do It Again!” It says, “You may be down and feel like God has somehow forgotten that you are faced with circumstances you can’t get through. But now it seems that there’s no way out and you’re going under; God’s proven time and time again He’ll fix it for you.
In the chorus, she says…And He’ll do it again. He’ll do it again. Just take a look at where you are now and where you’ve been. Hasn’t He always come through for you, He’s the same now as then. You may not know how, you may not know when, but He’ll do it again!
Lyndia Grant is a speaker, radio talk show host and columnist; visit her new website at www.lyndiagrant.com and call 202-263-4621. Listen Fridays at 6 p.m. to her talk show on WYCB (1340 AM), a Radio One station. Her address is 1250 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036.
