On every news program I'd watched today, there were dire warnings that gasoline prices would once again rise. The reason given, this time, was problems with Iran threatening to cut off gasoline supplies if the U.S. imposes sanctions on Iran due to Iran's nuclear activity. It doesn't really matter which excuse is used for the rising prices. With holiday seasons, gasoline prices always seem to rise. But we are hypnotically told, no, that is not true--believe it is not true.

And if the prices are not rising simply due to the holidays, the news is indeed dire, as we see the unrest in our world today. It is easy to see the negatives. There is much greed and lack of morals and it seems that slowly and surely, bad economic news is affecting the entire world.

Many of the middle-aged and older people remember stories and wisdom passed on from grandparents that went through the Great Depression. I have begun more earnestly to cut every corner I can to prepare for those kind of hard days coming upon the U.S. again. Instead of upgrading our house, my husband and I are hanging on to our simple, affordable home. This spring, I hope to expand my little five-by-ten foot garden into covering at least half of our backyard. I hope to can and dry foods a little more. I would appreciate if readers would share their tips for stretching pennies, because money is surely not going very far these days. I think we are going to need some of that Great Depression ingenuity to survive.

More than anything, we need to daily draw closer to God. Although it is easy to feel discouraged when things are bad and getting worse, there is such great hope for the future because of our loving and merciful Father and His Son. We do need to do our part in becoming wise stewards of whatever God gives to us. And we need to remember that God will provide for us and that we don't have to worry over these things. Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (KJV)

Even when the world is falling apart around us, we can have 'inner peace' and we can 'keep our eye on the prize' when we remember that Christ said in Matthew 28:20....and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (KJV)