February 2010 - Thriving Community or Ghost Town?

02/01/2010

I urge you to take time this month to look around and see what is happening to the businesses in your town. How many “Closed” or “Vacant” signs do you see?

I urge you to take time this month to look around and see what is happening to the businesses in your town. How many “Closed” or “Vacant” signs do you see? And do you know how many businesses in your town are just hanging on by a thread? I hope you will be as shocked as I am about this revelation and purpose to do something about it.

I know the economy is down and many are out of work. I also know that when we need a loaf of bread or a quart of milk, we don’t want to have to drive 80 miles to buy it. If the people of Wheatland and surrounding areas continue to go out of town for their shopping, very soon they will have no choice because the businesses in Wheatland will be no more!
   
What about our newspaper? Don’t we want to have a local paper where merchants can advertize to let readers know this week’s sales, and as consumers, don’t we want to read what the stores have on sale, and read what’s happening in our community and those around us? I sure hope so.

It’s a fact. The big chain stores are running the Mom and Pop stores out of business, but that would not happen if WE THE PEOPLE would stop allowing it to happen. We need to purpose in our heart to buy everything from our local businesses. If they don’t have it on hand and can’t order it for us, then we can drive the 80 miles for it, but not before. It is our responsibility to shop locally or it will be our lack of responsibility if our local stores are forced to close.

February is called the “love month.” I think every month is a love month! Jesus said in John 15:12: “This is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.” He goes on to say in verse 13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Whether you are a Christian or are not, following Jesus’ words will make you successful in this life. Love is the bottom line. Not greed. It takes working together to make a community a healthy, growing, prosperous place to live.

The merchants have to make money to stay in business and when their prices are fair, we need to shop in our own town. Take a few minutes to think about Wheatland or wherever you live and how you can make it a better place for yourself and your family. Ask yourself how you can help your community grow and become a healthy, prosperous environment to live in. When we call it MY community, then we must take responsibility before God for what happens to it. We all have our part to do for growth, health, and prosperity to come to our community, town or city.

I challenge you to think before you go out of town to purchase anything. Do you really want the children of your community to grow up with only vacant buildings to look at? Our actions today can give us a thriving community or a ghost town. Which will it be?