I’m pretty radical. I refuse to borrow money. I will not borrow money from anyone, not even a friend or a relative. I will humbly accept money as a gift, or proudly take money as salary for a job that I have done, but I will not borrow money. I will not borrow money for a car, for a house, for a boat, for a sandwich. I will not borrow money. I will not use a credit card, a home equity line of credit, an i.o.u., or a personal loan. Why?
Because, I refuse to be anyone’s slave. I want to be free. I want to work for my wages, use my wages to buy things that I can afford, and go to bed every single night knowing that only God controls my destiny. I will not be another man’s slave. I refuse. I will not bow down to the gods of CitiBank or Bank of America or Ford Motor Credit. I do not care how they “reward” me, entice me, trick me, or invite me. I will not be seduced by their promises and their plans for my future. I have a brain of my own. No amount of “cash back” is worth giving up my freedom.
I know, I know. You pay off your balances every month. You spend the same amount, even when using a credit card. Sure you do. Then why did you finance your last automobile? What if you had to come up with 1000 dollars for an emergency, tomorrow? Could you? Or would you have to go, hat in hand, to a relative, or to a credit card company, or to your bank, asking for a loan? Stop it! I am tired of seeing these beautiful banks, parking lots filled with fancy cars, built on the backs of people paying interest and penalties.
Our society, our children, our churches, our government, and our neighbors are addicted to debt. Are you ready to change? Are you ready to get radical? Are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Then get on a plan.
When I was a kid, there was a public swimming pool in a town near where we lived. At the bottom of that pool was a drain, with a grate over top of it. No one thought much about that grate. In fact, we kids would swim to the bottom of the pool, hook our fingers into the slats of that grate, and see how long we could hold our breath. One day, a little kid fell from the high-dive (this was before most high-dives were outlawed), and was knocked out by the contact his head made with the water. None of the people swimming noticed this little kid falling. They simply went about their routine of swimming and playing. Eventually, a few of the kid’s friends started to look around for him. Not seeing him, they told the lifeguard. Hurriedly, the lifeguard cleared the pool. At the bottom of the pool lay the little kid, sucked downward by the force of the water entering the grate. The lifeguard jumped in, pulled the kid from the bottom of the pool, swam to the side of the pool, lifted the kid onto the concrete surrounding the pool, jumped out, and began to administer CPR. Thankfully, the kid survived, but not without brain damage. Now, there were always two differing opinions as to what caused the kid to suffer brain damage. Was it the initial fall? Or was it the time spent, sucked down to the bottom of the pool, with no oxygen?
Everyone of us is going to fall, and be injured in our financial lives. We might lose our jobs, our loved ones, our health, etc. There is very little we can do to avoid falling. But, we can avoid the downward pressure of debt, sucking us to the bottom. We can fall, and we can have the financial foundation to get back up. Debt, however, robs us of that ability. It sucks us downward, holds us tight, and refuses to let go. Be strong, today! Before you fall, destroy the ability of debt to hold you down. Fight! Fight! Fight! Be free today, enjoy your freedom tomorrow, and stay free forever.
This super dorky post is brought to you by the inspired mind of NCN!