"The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning." Lamentations 3:22-22
New Beginnings
(I wrote this in January 2022, but for whatever reason never published it. I read it today and knew others needed to know there is hope when it comes to financial disasters. The journey isn't easy and sometimes you will want to give up, but know God is with you and His plan will work if you trust Him.)
This week I have felt God on several occasions prompt me to write. I have had a lot on my mind these past few months. One was this financial fiasco I had created.
I had my 6-month check-in with the debt consolidation company in December. I was so excited because I knew my debt payoff was around the corner. As we begin speaking about my goals and how things were going I could tell my agent's tone begin to change. Finally, she said I don't even know how to tell you this but you still have a balance. I was stunned, to say the least. (Two things I want to clarify right here: first I didn't check in on my account monthly. If I am honest I have tried to run from this monster more than take it head-on. Second, the statements show payments being made and the amount negotiated but it is a lot of work to figure out your balance, or so I thought.) The agent talked with me for over an hour showing me the dashboard and the simple way to read the amounts being paid out and balances owed.
I sat in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant with tears falling down my face and wondering if this nightmare would ever end. She explained I had 5 more months of payments left and I would be finished. I don't know what I had said to her to let her know God was my comfort and strength, but she said if you don't mind I want to read a scripture from the Bible to you. I can't recall the verse because I felt the peace of God surround me and I could feel Him saying trust me. I ended that call that day feeling at peace, but with dread to tell my husband the nightmare wasn't over.
I had set goals in my mind and I wanted them to take place on my timeline. (Sidenote: I know God loves for us to set goals and work for them, but it is very important to understand He sometimes intervenes for His purpose.) This is where God needed me to allow my husband to take care of me. I have been very independent for some time and when it comes to my finances and the mess I created I was VERY adamant I wanted to take care of this on my own. It was very important I trusted God. Many times God places people in your life to help, but we have too much pride or are too hard-headed to allow help from others. (I fall into these categories.)
My husband is an analytical man and immediately started stating the costs of me waiting to pay off the remainder of the debt or allowing him to take it from our savings and be done with it. After many tears and arguments about why I should do this on my own, we agreed to use our savings and end this financial fiasco!
Can I say this has been an easy process? Absolutely NOT! It has been very difficult, but the many lessons I have learned are invaluable! I don't recommend getting into debt to learn how to be financially secure or how to manage money, but if you are in this mess take control NOW and trust God to lead you out of it. He can and will take our failures and turn them into good if we only allow Him to!
**Side note here** I don't know if taking the consolidation route is the best way. It was what worked for me at the time. I will say WITHOUT a doubt...DO NOT FALL INTO THE TRAP OF THEIR LOAN! The interest rate is CRAZY!! I didn't do it, but I am afraid many who are desperate will take this route. Do your homework and research to find out the best method for you. None of them will be fast or easy, but with hard work (2-3 extra jobs) and major cutbacks in your budget, you can and WILL get out of debt!! I am almost 50 and my goal was to be debt free by 50. I still have my student loan, but it is very manageable and goes into my budget. It also has a very low-interest rate. Set a goal and work for it! YOU CAN DO IT! My life verse is: I can do ALL things with God, who gives me my strength!
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