Who's In Your Wallet?

“...the borrower is servant to the lender.”

-- Proverbs 22:7

I gleaned this from ushistory.org:  "Only about 40 percent of indentured servants lived to complete the terms of their contracts. Female servants were often the subject of harassment from their masters. A woman who became pregnant while a servant often had years tacked on to the end of her service time."  Well, it sucked being a woman "harassed" by the master.  Kept pregnant, she would never pay off her debt.  It would seem men fared better.

Debt. Stay away from going into debt. It isn’t what’s in your wallet, it’s who is in your wallet. Owing debt to a company, or a person, simply means you agree to belong to someone else until your debt is paid. You become an indentured servant, more or less a slave. Now, ask yourself, how many people do you currently belong to? How is this new "slavery" working out for you, financially?  A little experiment for you:  Add up all the interest you've paid over the past year on all of your debt.  Since spending habits rarely change, multiply this amount by the number of years you've had the debt.  Are you surprised?

"The man who never has money enough to pay his debts has too much of something else."

-- James Lendall Basford

Now, you must realize lending institutions don’t want you out of debt?  It is, after all, how they make their money. This is why they have a “minimum” payment option, so you will never be able to get your head above water. I think there is a conspiracy among these lending institutions to keep gift-giving holidays alive and well.  I'm also thinking it might be better to make your own gifts for people, or buy the gifts outright with cash, and stay away from the debt you so easily compound month after month.  When looking for credit, remember that these people are not your friends; never have been, never will be.

“The only man who sticks closer to you in adversity than a friend is a creditor.”

-- Unknown

"The only man who sticks closer to you in adversity than a friend is a creditor.”  If your insurance agent had a choice, they'd be dodging you in times of adversity.  Remember what happened during Hurricane Katrina?  Insurance companies were screwing people left and right.  The insurance companies were trying to bail on their responsibilities to clients faster than rats jumping a sinking ship, and my comparison wasn't far off.  The companies were getting hammered by clients wanting them to make good their policies.  Now we're more careful who we choose to do business with, and we double-up on insurance if we're somewhere dangerous, with the wind, flood, and "umbrella" policies.

My long-winded point being, why are you letting anybody be in your wallet unless you're the one in charge?  The only way to accomplish that is to not be in debt.  Use the cards and pay off the balance each and every month.  Use them, don't allow them to use you.

“Running into debt isn’t so bad. It’s running into creditors that hurts.”

-- Unknown

 Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.