Love Your Life Not TheirsSample

Day 3
Habit 2: Steer Clear of Debt

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another." (Romans 13:8 NIV)

One of the greatest things about my job is meeting new people. Whether it's a book signing or a live event, I get to talk with people from all walks of life and from every corner of the country. There's nothing better than hearing their stories about getting out of debt and winning with money.

But over the years, I've discovered something... not everyone understands what "debt" really means. For example, I met a young college guy who told me how he was going to school debt-free. I was really excited—until he started explaining what "debt-free" meant to him.

"Well, I do have a few student loans," he confessed. "But I don't have any debt."

As I gently shared with him that student loans definitely are debt, I was reminded once again that people don't always speak the same language. That's why I want to be really clear about how I define debt: It's owing anything to anyone for any reason.

Credit cards? Debt. Car loans? Debt. Student loans? Debt.

It's all debt. And it's all stuff you need to get rid of if you're going to love your life.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote about steering clear of every kind of debt. He said the only thing we should owe someone else is love. Beyond that, we need to be debt-free—really, truly debt-free!

Honestly, debt is full of lies. It tells you that you can have whatever you want whenever you want it, but then it steals your money and your peace of mind. It promises unlimited joy, but produces nothing but stress and frustration.

But it doesn't have to be that way. You can change your habits by changing the way you think about debt. You can make some temporary—though possibly painful—changes right now that will let you live and give like no one else later.

By saying no in the moment, you'll be saying yes to an awesome future and a life you can love.