College Fair
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8
Insight
One thought ran through my mind as I walked my oldest daughter through the college fair. No, it had nothing to do with how quickly she was growing up or devising a plan to bypass the out-of-state university booths ensuring she stays closer to home. Instead, it had everything to do with college loans - not hers, but mine.
Yes, at 43, I'm still paying off the world's most expensive piece of paper (aka my college degree). Over the years, I've chipped away at it, but the debt I owe feels like a huge boulder weighing me down.
Debt creates pressure, stress, and strain - a feeling many of us know all too well. I came across a statistic that said the average American has about $38,000 in personal debt, excluding home mortgages. As a result, we find ourselves treading water in a sea of debt trying not to drown. There have been moments when I opened up a bill, and I almost choked. I couldn't breathe as I contemplated how much blood I would have to sell to pay it off.
Maybe this is why the Apostle Paul spends a portion of his letter to the church in Rome talking about paying off what we owe in the business world. He then turns his attention to our connections. Paul goes against the wisdom of financial advisers by saying one obligation should always remain outstanding: the debt to love one another.
Christ extended to us an unlimited credit line of love, forgiveness, and grace. Every moment there is breathe in our lungs, we draw from it over and over again. It's impossible to calculate a figure that encompasses the depths of the unconditional love He lavished upon us.
In light of the cross, we'll never be able to pay it off in its entirety. The bill to extend forgiveness, display humility, and love boldly is always due. Yet, unlike all the other debt that piles up, our call to love others is freeing.
Yes, I know all my efforts of love are like pennies on the dollar compared to Christ's love. But that's not the point. It's not an evening of the scales or doing everything in my power to get out of the red.
By breathing worth and value into the life of another, I can exhale a sigh of relief, knowing I am loved beyond measure. When I consider this reality, loving others is no longer an obligation; it's an opportunity - a chance to remind myself of the many ways I stand securely in His love.
Reflection
Take a moment and reflect on the current state of your relationships and connections with others. What bill of relational love is past due?
Prayer
God, I'm permanently in debt to Your love. I can never pay it off or make up for it. Because I'm valued, may I value others. Let me be generous with my words, my actions, and my resources. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.