Welcome to the Outer Limits

The old, funky television show “The Outer Limits” had one of the most creative openings I can remember. The screen you were watching would begin as a test pattern. Then suddenly it would begin to morph and act erratically as a resonate control voice would begin to narrate,

“There is nothing wrong with your television set” it would intone, “Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. For the next hour we will control all that you see and hear. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to the outer limits.”

It seems today that we have entered a place in the outer limits. The speed of change is mind boggling. Our financial situation is precarious. We are in a place of disorientation and we feel as if we have no control over our situation and its extraordinary changes.

The subsequent anxiety often expresses itself as a vice-like compression deep in the gut. Our thoughts race around in our skulls first thing in morning toward what seems an insurmountable finish line. Though it is hard to articulate or identify, you know it when you experience it. Days become reflective, many times obsessive, about the state of our lives and the condition of our culture.

A colleague told me that he doesn't have time for the recession.  There is too much to take advantage of. Like what? 

• A greater dependence and vulnerability with those closest to you. I haven't met one person who hasn't been affected by this historic economic moment. Comaradarie gives way to vulnerability. Give people the honor of ministering to your heart.

• Pursue a completely new orientation toward your life. If you find yourself at a cross roads you could hearken back to where you were.  Or you can realistically assess where you are now and awaken new avenues to where you want to be, then let others know what you are doing.

• In tough times, it is so easy to default into survival mode. It can become a self-absorption if we are not careful. Volunteer and give of some of your time for altruism. The rewards to your own heart are immeasurable.

• Finally, connect with a power greater than yourself. For me, as a Christian, it is relying on a source of comfort and hope that is not tied to any of the horrendous realities of this current situation. Nurturing your spiritually daily through prayer, meditation, and sacred reading will get you through.

Seize the day…