Finding Financial Freedom, Part 1
By Jeff Cranston
Living a debt-free life is freeing, and it is not as impossible as we make it out to be. But we do make it tough on ourselves. Here are the most current facts about our debt in America:
Overall, Americans are carrying a grand total of $890 billion in credit card debt. This means if you were alive when Jesus was born and you spent a million dollars every single day since then, you still would not have spent $890 billion by now.
Right now, there are more than 679 million active credit cards in the United States.
According to Ramsey Solutions, the average American has more than $34,000 worth of consumer debt. Consumer debt is defined as credit cards, school loans, medical bills, and car loans.
These stats remind me of a quote I saw recently: “There are three kinds of people in this country: the have’s, the have-not’s, and the have-not-paid-for-what-they-have’s.”
And a lot of people are stuck with their debt. It weighs on us. It’s a burden we carry around. I know; I’ve done it.
I want you to imagine what it would be like to not have the debt you have …
Imagine that your stress is gone and worrying about paying your debts—GONE!
Imagine less arguing with your spouse about money!
Imagine having more money to do things you actually WANT to do versus just paying bills!
Christian financial expert Joe Sangl points out in his book, “I Was Broke Now I’m Not” wrote that, “Debt is the single greatest cause of stress and financial problems … I have never had a person say to me, “Joe, I obtained a credit card, ran up a huge balance on it, and all of my dreams came true!” Never.
Now the million-dollar question is, “What lengths would you go to in order to eliminate your debt?”
A survey by MyBankTracker.com asked 1,010 respondents that same question. The survey results are very telling and a little humorous:
Just over 30 percent of us would sell an organ to get rid of our debt.
Thirty-eight percent of us would take part in a questionable health study to get rid of our debt—as in, “Take these meds and let’s see what happens.”
Fifty-five percent would be willing to turn their lives into a full-time reality show in exchange for all debt to be paid off.
What if I told you that you could get out of debt without giving up a kidney, taking shady medication or becoming the sixth Kardashian sister? Would you take that deal? Find out how you can do that in part two of this blog post:
Jeff Cranston is lead pastor at LowCountry Community Church in Bluffton, South Carolina.
