No matter how removed we feel from Wall Street, the current U.S. credit crisis is bound to impact us down the road in one way or another. Although I’m not invested in the stock market, for example, I do enjoy an occasional Krispy Kreme doughnut.

I read a Time magazine article about a report released yesterday that says there are 140 large U.S. companies in danger of not being able to pay their bills in the next few months. Krispy Kreme is one of them. Others include Eddie Bauer, Six Flags, and a number of the nation’s largest airlines. One financial expert estimates that there will be 75 bankruptcies this year among companies with at least $100 million in assets—up from just 13 last year.

Sometimes I don’t think we realize how much we’re putting our hope in something until it’s threatened to be taken from us or we lose it altogether (and I’m not talking about Krispy Kremes—although they are the tastiest doughnuts ever created, hands-down. They’re so light and fluffy—what’s their secret?). I’m talking about bigger things. Money. Jobs. Possessions. People. If our value comes from those things or we’re trying to find happiness through them, we’re bound to be disappointed over and over again.

1 Timothy 6:17-19
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

What’s your hope in? God promises never to leave us or forsake us; everything else is so uncertain. Identifying anything our hope is in that isn’t the Lord now will save us a lot of trouble down the road. Just something to think about over fresh, warm Krispy Kreme.