"Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." Romans 13:8
Clint and I are taking Crown Financial Ministries to help us get on the same page regarding our finances and how we manage our money as a couple. We were asked to look up this verse today (and two others) and then answer a question: Why is debt discouraged in Scripture? After thinking on this for a while, I answered the question and then moved on to other things. About an hour later, I got to thinking about this particular verse again.
Like many couples, Clint and I have very different habits regarding how we handle money and our attitudes toward it. Without going into detail about our differences, let's just say it is THE area of conflict in our young marriage. Not shocking. As I evaluate my part in the conflict and how my attitudes and actions add strain, I am forced to look at the things I value and what I cling so tightly to. Today I realized at a deeper level that the things we cling to are what we become indebted to, what we become slaves to. I am not Buddhist, but Siddartha had it right when he said that the reason we suffer is due to clinging to the impermanent. Now, Buddha did not believe in God, so I will now turn to Christ who said that we cannot serve both God and money, for we will love one and hate the other. Hatred is suffering. When I cling to money, things, and the 'security' I believe they give me, I am not clinging to God, the Giver of all things. When I rely on stuff, when I cling to the impermanent, I become a slave to it because I live in constant fear of my security being taken away. When another human being comes to use, take away, borrow, etc my stuff, i.e. source of security, I feel hate and I suffer. Now, clinging to stuff doesn't necessarily have to do with financial debt, except that the desire for unnecessary stuff can get us into debt. But any kind of slavery leads us to hatred and loathing. It leads us away from love.
According to God, he wants me to be free from all kind of debt, all kinds of slavery. The only thing I should be captured by is love. To truly love God and to truly love my husband, I need to not put things and money before either of them. I owe them love, not hate.
