Out of Trouble Comes Wisdom in Handling Money
By Chris Hammond, MS, IMH
He was the responsible one, the one everyone depended on
because they knew he would come through.
He was determined, focused, ambitious, reliable, detail-oriented and
motivated yet here he sits having to make one of the hardest decisions in his
life, one that would forever tarnish his reputation. It is the decision to file for
bankruptcy. There is a part of him that
intellectually knows it must be done as the numbers don’t allow for any other
alternative yet there is another part of him that is not willing to admit
failure. And that is exactly how he sees
it, as failure and a blemish to his name which will never be forgotten.
No amount of mutual bankruptcy filers including various
famous or successful people seem to calm his anxiety or set him further at
ease. No amount of verbal encouragement
from a variety of friends and family seem to lift his spirits. And no amount of logical detailed analysis
seems to ease the perfectionist standard that will be forever lost when the
paperwork is complete. There is
virtually nothing that can be said or done to reduce the intense emotions of
the moment; depression, discouragement, and disheartenment have made a home
where the bankruptcy left a wound.
This is precisely why God allowed the Israelites the ability
to be free from their debts every seven years because He knew the burden of
debt unable to be repaid. In Deuteronomy
15:1, it states, “At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of
everyone who owes you money.” He
explains the reason for the cancelation of debt as a desire not to have any of
the Israelites classified as poor. And
having excessive debt does result in a poor economic class of people within
Israel. He further states that if the
debt is forgiven, the person forgiving the debt will receive a blessing as a
result. The same lesson is then applied
to slaves, asking the Hebrew people to release their slaves every six years as
a reminder of God freeing the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians.
Debt binds you to the debtor. If the debtor decides to call the loan, which
they can, and you are unable to pay the consequences could be devastating. Habakkuk 2:7 states, “Suddenly, your debtors
will take action. They will turn on you
and take all you have, while you stand trembling and helpless.” This fear lives deep in the heart of everyone
who takes on debt whether or not they acknowledge it is an entirely different
story. This is why God does not want His
people to be bound to debt. He has given
us freedom from sin through Jesus Christ and wants us to remain in His freedom,
not intentionally binding ourselves up to a new master even if it is the
“American dream”. The wisdom that comes
from bankruptcy is the wisdom of the true meaning of freedom. Once you have tasted it, you are not likely
to be satisfied with anything else.
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"Reprinted with permission from the LifeWorks Group weekly eNews, (Copyright, 2004-2012), To subscribe to this valuable counseling and coaching resource visit www.LifeWorksGroup.org or call 407-647-7005"
About the author- Chris Hammond is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern at LifeWorks Group w/ over 15 years of experience as a counselor, mentor & teacher for children, teenagers & adults.
"Reprinted with permission from the LifeWorks Group weekly eNews, (Copyright, 2004-2012), To subscribe to this valuable counseling and coaching resource visit www.LifeWorksGroup.org or call 407-647-7005"
About the author- Chris Hammond is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern at LifeWorks Group w/ over 15 years of experience as a counselor, mentor & teacher for children, teenagers & adults.