Editor’s note: In a December Commentary section, Buddy Childress, executive director of Needle’s Eye Ministries in Richmond, wrote about the spiritual aspects of economic trouble. As the difficulties continue, and in some cases deepen, he offers more thoughts about values and money—and how they overlap and differ.

Every day the business news brings fresh anxieties. Bankruptcies, foreclosures, layoffs. It’s only natural to ask “Is my company OK?“ “Am I OK?“ “Is my job secure?“ For some, the answer has already come, and the answer was “No.“