Finances and My Faith

Those who know me personally will know that I write not only from the perspective of a recent graduate and new teacher, but from that of a committed follower of Jesus Christ and a believer of the Bible.  I think a common mis-perception of Christianity is that we believe money is evil and refuse to mix finances with our faith.  One of the most misquoted Bible verses I hear is I Timothy 6:10 "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager, for money, have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (NIV). 

Notice what it says: "The love of money."  Not, "Money itself is the root of all kinds of evil," but, the LOVE of money.  Greed, relentless pursuit of material wealth, refusal to be satisfied- these are the kinds of things that lead to "piercing ourselves with many griefs".   The Bible never gives any implication that money or wealth in and of itself is a bad thing; the Bible is full of verses that command us to manage our money and spend it wisely.  

I am not a theologian or a Biblical scholar; these are my personal understandings and interpretations of Biblical commands regarding finances- and they are the main reason why I want to eliminate my debt.  Here goes:

I do not believe having debt or taking out a loan is sinful- the Bible, specifically the Old Testament Law, is loaded with commands and guidelines for being a fair creditor and a fair debtor.  However, Proverbs 22:7 tells us that a debtor is a slave to his or her creditor.  When debt gets out of control, it enslaves us, and it leads to things that are sin and that make our lives miserable.

It leads to worry.  I am the first to admit, I have had sleepless nights and days when I cannot focus because I am worrying about an upcoming bill that I don't know how I'm going to pay.  God has never failed to provide for me, but He never promised to protect me from major inconveniences (or dings to my credit score) if I wasn't a good steward of money.  I found ten verses about "worry" in the NIV version of the Bible, and they all say the same thing: DON'T WORRY.  God commands us not to worry and to trust Him- something that is so much easier to do when we know we have done all we can with what He has given us!  

Poorly managed debt can lead to desperation.  Having modeled professionally, I set strict standards for myself of the kinds of castings I will and will not pursue, regardless of how much pay is involved.  However, when my finances have been tight in the past, I have caught myself wondering if it would be that big a deal if I did a tobacco promotion in a trashy bar or if I posed for pictures that showed a little too much.  I never actually went through with it- sadly, it was usually the thought of, "I'll never get a teaching position if this becomes public," that stopped me, rather than "This would dishonor my Lord and Savior."  Had I been pursuing a different profession or thought I could get away with it, I might have accepted jobs that solved my momentary money troubles but caused me a world of regret later.  Outside the modeling world, there were plenty of other opportunities to lie or cheat in order to get a few dollars.  When we feel desperate for anything other than God, the lines of morality can become blurred and we are far more susceptible to temptation than when we are satisfied in Him.

Inability to pay back debt isn't fair to our creditors (assuming we haven't been victims of some sort of fraud).  Yes, it seems ridiculous that multi-million dollar banks and lenders come after us for payments of less than $100, but, the truth is, we agree when we take out a debt to pay it back on certain terms, and the right thing to do is to hold up our end of the bargain.  A few dollars might not seem like much, but, when people all over begin to fall behind on small payments, the entire economy is affected.  In Luke 20:25, when asked if it was lawful to pay taxes, Jesus gave the command  to "give back to Caeser what is Caeser's, and to God what is God's."   He didn't say, "Caeser has more than enough money and you are struggling, so find sneaky ways to keep some money back for yourself."  He simply said to return money to where it was owed, whether it be God or earthly authority (sidenote: I do NOT see anywhere where He says, "Don't negotiate with creditors or ask for tax relief if you're struggling!").  The apostle Paul when on to repeat the command to give what we owe in Romans 13:7, "Give to everyone what you owe them: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."  To look at things from another perspective, have you ever been the one who is owed money and your debtor is refusing to pay it back, avoiding your attempts to contact them or coming up with excuses?  It's a frustrating place to be in, and it creates unfair financial (and, possibly relational) problems for us.  How can we justify being the one causing those problems for others?

Excessive debt can interfere with our pursuit of serving God.  How many people have we met who would love to go on the mission field or into some form of full-time ministry, but are held back by a mountain of debt?  How many would like to give more to the church, to missionaries, or to "defend the weak and fatherless and uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed," (Psalm 82:3) but simply cannot because they are struggling to make payments on debt?  When we go into debt carelessly, we set ourselves up to miss out on blessings so much greater than what any credit card or loan could buy.  

So, while I don't believe it is wrong to take out loans for the right reasons (such as paying for college when you have a clear-cut plan to use your degree), I do believe debt is something to take seriously and to deal with as promptly as possible.  I look forward to being out of debt and free to pour my time, energy, and money into things that really matter!