When stock markets crash

If you’re lucky enough to own a stock or mutual fund, I hope you got out of it a month or two ago. Today is likely going to be a terrible day on Wall St. Don’t be surprised if the markets crash.

It doesn’t take any special brilliance to forecast this – all you have to know are two facts:

1. Our economy is inextricably linked to the global economy – if China catches a cold, we start coughing.
2. International markets crashed yesterday, which probably means ours will today.

I remember when the Twin Towers collapsed on 9/11, I called my financial wizardo friend, Kevin Means. “What does this mean?” I asked. He answered, “You know what they used to say when some country in Europe would go thru a revolution – ‘Buy when there’s blood in the streets.'” In other words, when people are panicking and the herd is moving for the exits, that’s a good time to buy stock.

As the herd scrambles for the exits today and people lose great chunks of their life savings, it’s helpful to remember the upside. We humans perpetually give the wrong answer to the question, “How much is enough?” Our answer is “A little bit more.” And in the process, we get our life priorities out of whack.

After 9/11, there was a great upsurge in spiritual matters as we were reminded of our mortality. Like the children of Israel in the desert, our neediness caused us to remember God and his place in our lives. Yes, we’re fine as long as we’re self-sufficient, but remove the comforts we’ve packed into our lives and we begin wondering, “God, are you still there?”

So, as you see thousands of dollars flushed down the financial toilet today and start obsessing about whether to sell or maybe to see it as a buying opportunity, I encourage you to recalibrate your life with these scriptures from 1 Timothy 6:

“If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”

“Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.”

“Command those who are rich not to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God.”