Economic Identity Crisis Part 2

In “Economic Identity Crisis Part 1” I said the Bible is very clear about debt.  I should have clarified.  It clearly puts debt in a negative and dangerous light, but it is not explicit about whether Christians should take on debts like home mortgages or student loans–on these there seems to be room for interpretation.  But this is only the surface layer of deeper issues.  It is to those layers I must dig if I am to understand God’s financial plan for myself and the church at large.

For some basic Biblical perspective on debt I perused through some passages from the Mosaic law, and then touched on some of Jesus’ words.  Here are the passages I looked at:

Mosaic Law: Exodus 22 v 25 – 27, Deuteronomy 15 v 1 – 12, Leviticus 25 v 35 – 38, Deuteronomy 28 v 12 – 13, 43 – 45

Jesus: Luke 6 v 34 – 36, Luke 16 v 13

In going through the Mosaic Law, a couple of things struck me.  First, I found the assumption that the borrower was doing so because they were needy-Ex. 22: 25 “If you lend money to one of my people who is needy…charge no interest” and Lev. 25: 35 “If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself…help him…do not take interest.”  I see no suppositions that a person who was able to support himself without debt would ever use it as a wealth building strategy.  Rather, the assumption is that the person has no other choice.  God seems to be making an allowance in these passages for extreme cases under extreme conditions.  In fact, Exodus 22’s discourse on debt follows other instructions for difficult situations like when it says a rapist to has to marry his victim (unless the father refuses) and pay the full bride price, and it talks about what to do with widows and orphans i.e. we’re not talking about ideal situations here.  In my Bible, the passage is labeled, “Social Responsibility,” but it seems like it could just as easily be called, “What to do When Some Serious S*** Hits the Fan.” 

As I pointed out in part 1 of this series, I signed my promissory note under the guise that it would create more wealth than I already had.  I was not destitute.  I had the means to get a good job that could support my every need and more.  The main reason I saw college as vital was I wanted to get a good paying job.  The sad irony is the job I currently hold (after getting a degree) only prefers a college education, but does not require one.  Many of my co-workers, and some who make more green than I do, didn’t even go to college.  If I had gotten this job out of High School I would have been earning $35,000/year without a cent of debt to my name.  To put that into perspective, that means I would have been earning roughly $2400 a month and spending only half of that (based on my current expenses minus my monthly debt payments).  That means about $15,000/year would be freed up.  I could have traveled, taken community ed courses, or sponsored 35 impoverished kids for that year.  On year two, I could have put that $$$ in a mutual fund.  When I took it out at say, age 50, it would have been worth around $250,000 (at 10% interest).  That brings me to year three, which is where I’m currently at in my job.  This is when I start to realize I need more in my life.  This year I would take the $15,000 and I buy a plot of land outside the city.  Nothing big, just a quarter acre that I can turn into paradise on the weekends.  A one room log cabin that I built from the ground up surrounded by the most lush garden anyone ever set eyes on, and an oak tree standing guard.  Ah! Thoreau would have killed for such an abode.

Ok, so maybe that last part would have taken more than $15,000 and a lot longer than a year, but you get my point.  I could have gotten my current job straight out of High School and, from an economic standpoint, be much closer to my goals after three years than where I am now–8 years out of High School and $65,000 in the red. 

Those of you who know me well enough might argue that if I didn’t go to college, I would have missed out on many great experiences–life-defining even.  This is very true.  But, what if I waited 3 years until I had saved enough money to pay out-of-pocket for school.  Interestingly, the most life defining college experiences I had were in my third year of school.  Yes, I made some good friends the prior two years (3 friends to be exact), but otherwise my first couple years were something like being in purgatory–neither good nor bad.  I just existed, but barely.  If I had waited two years before coming to school, I would have started at the same time as my now fiancée, and maybe met my three good friends from before in another way. 

It does very little good (if any) to dwell on what might have been, but I say this now so that the person who finds themselves in the same place I once was sees that you might hurry up to get on to the next phase in life only to find you’re in an existential 2 year holding period.  For that person, I would say you might as well live the life you can now, and worry about college when it’s time (like when you can pay for it).  Matthew 16:26, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”  One’s vitality is never a healthy exchange for one’s education. 

Back to the Bible–the second thing I noticed from the Mosaic Law was that borrowing from non-community members was forbidden.  Now, I’m not a biblical scholar, but I’m going to take a crack at this one.  I think it was because God knew when you borrow money from people you aren’t in mutual relationship with, you can to be taken advantage of.  Also, with this precept, God ensured that no person would be indebted for more than 7 years if the lending happened within the tribe, due to the beautiful idea of the Year of Jubilee (all debts are forgiven after 7 years).  In looking at this law, I think I got myself into trouble on two counts.  First, I’m pretty sure Wells Fargo is not considered a Christian organization which would make them a “foreigner.”  Second, my loans are on a 20 year term–nearly 3 times as long as the Bible commands.  This would not be a good time to bring up Proverbs 22:7.

“The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.”

Oh come on!!

The third thing that struck me from my study was Jesus’ attitude towards borrowing in the Gospels.  While Moses gives instruction to lend only in dire circumstance and at no interest, Jesus takes the law even further (as is his custom).  He says, instead of lending, why not just give whatever is asked of you and expect nothing in return.  As it is unlikely I could convince Wells Fargo of adopting this policy by not expecting repayment, it may be unclear what I glean from this passage for my situation.  It’s that I find his nonchalant tone striking.  The liberation, the dangerously evocative notion of holding on to one’s money so loosely that one might give to ANYONE who asks is startling.  If I had approached my vocation with this mentality I never would have volunteered for a 20 year weight around my ankle in the first place.  I would have passionately pursued the calling I felt, but not within the worldly systems that lead to bondage.  When we’re young we are accustomed to the world having clear paths for us to walk through.  Our parents, schools, and/or churches point us in the right direction and we sometimes mistake these doors opened by the aforementioned institutions as the voice of the Lord.  But, looking to the stories of Joseph and David and finally Jesus we see that although these entities are meant to embody our blessed Father, they sometimes get it wrong and it’s ultimately up to us to hear the voice of the one calling us into the wilderness.  For it is in the wilderness, where everything is stripped away, and we can finally hear the Lord clear.

Late last night a member of our group/church/fellowship/…thing (it’s complicated) emailed the twelve of us a word of encouragement.  Her message was in regards to the period of limbo we find ourselves in right now as we have all been discouraged and feeling lost in our efforts to realize the community we feel God is calling us to become.  Our group has been meeting and practicing intentional community for the past 2 years, but for over 2 months now we’ve been on a break to try to figure out the next steps.  This beloved friend reminded us of the story of the Israelites who were freed from slavery in Egypt.  I assume most are familiar with this important story of Israel’s history, but if you haven’t read it I encourage you to pick up the book of Exodus and read through it.  The basic story is that the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years until God raised up Moses to lead the people out of slavery and into the promised land.  God sent 7 plagues to force Pharoah to let the people go, and once they are finally freed, they have a hard time (to say the least) overcoming their doubts and fears to step into unknown lands.  In fact, some said they would rather go back to slavery where they were brutalized and treated like animals than to go into the unknown with only the Lord as their guide.

This story has always frustrated me to no end!  I remember growing up and wondering how Moses could stand listening to a million people grumble against him every day, with the audacity to suggest that dehumanizing slavery is better than making a try for real freedom.   I’m honestly not sure I could’ve interceded for them like Moses when God suggested they be wiped off the face of the Earth and a new tribe established through Moses.  Even if God’s suggestion was a test, and I knew it to be so, I still would’ve been like: “Finally!  I’m really glad you said it because I didn’t know how to bring this up.  YHWH, I really think this is our best option here.”   

This explains my recent discovery of self-loathe, then.  You see, I have heard the grumbling voices of the Israelites in my own heart.  I have heard the loving call of my Liberator, but find myself clinging to my chains, rather than they to me.  This sometimes happens to slaves and prisoners.  We adapt to the new reality by making it home.  We cope by convincing ourselves that “Egypt” isn’t so bad.  We say, at least I’m alive.  But then, when/if the time comes to be freed, it’s overwhelming.  The idea of freedom becomes more scary than of bondage.  The captor is devious and cruel, but the Liberator is wild and unpredictable.  In the end, no matter how good the promised land sounds, we all have to come to grips with one fact if we are ever actually going to make the trek across the desert to claim it: we will have to change.  Home is where the heart is, and if we want a new home, we will need a new heart.  A new heart means change.  And change…change is hard.

In my friend’s word of encouragement she pointed out two things that I had never noticed before in Exodus 14 when the Israelites cross the Red Sea.  First, when Moses and the people cried out as the Egyptians closed in on them God said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.”  This is a picture of myself right now.  I can see myself standing on the banks of the great unknown and fearfully realizing I no longer want to be enslaved by my debts.  I am crying out for God to do something, but He keeps saying, “go forward.”  I think I finally know what this means.  What’s been done is done.  I signed up for Egypt and I can’t reverse that decision.  All I can do now is trust him as we walk together toward’s new life in the promised land.  If I don’t like my job, I need to pursue something better.  If I’m not getting paid enough money to get out from under my debt, I need to find a way to make more (now accepting donations for this blog).   He will lead me, but I must move forward and stop “crying out” for him to “do something.”  His power that can part seas and calm storms is with me, so it’s time to go. 

And I must move forward at night.  This was the second thing from my friend’s letter that struck me.  She pointed out that the Israelites had to cross the sea while it was still dark.  If they waited until daybreak it would have been too late.  Working a dead-end job, staying guarded with the people of our church group (thing), and holding on to my individuality when I’m on the brink of saying “I do” has put me in a seriously dark place right now.  I scarcely know which way is up, and although every direction but backwards takes me out of Egypt, I have been waiting for daybreak to be able to discern which direction is best.  But daybreak will never come if I wait.  I must go forward at night by the illumination of God’s word and trust that the light will always shine in the darkness (Jn. 1:4).  I might not go in the right direction.  I may wander in the wilderness for 40 years like the Jews (hopefully metaphorically), but I know I will not be abandoned, and the only wrong direction when seeking the promised land is backwards.  Eventually, I will be there.  Eventually, these hands will be working the land that the Lord has given them. 

Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”  Although I now feel the full sting of slavery when it comes to indebtedness, I do not think I have to remain a slave to my debtors–even while I am still paying them back.  No, each day I work to be freed of my debt, prayerfully and by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, I am seeking the Lord and His freedom.  If I make it mantra to work hard and live frugally so as to pay my debt off as fast as possible, than this is an act of service to God.  Every day the red number titled “my net worth” gets smaller is a day closer to freedom in Christ.  Until the glorious moment I can say my only debt is the debt of love (Ro. 13:8). 

Interestingly enough, my first student loan promissory note was signed on January, 2004.  That means 7 years ago this month, my debt began.  That means it’s time for Jubilee.  Sound the horn, friends!  This captive is ready to be freed.  This debtee is ready to be forgiven.  They say my name (Adam) means “Walks With God.”  Well, I’d say it’s time to get up off the shore and start walking!