Hurry, Hurry. We Need to Go Spend Some Money!

 

Hurry, Hurry, We Need to Go Spend Some Money!

Theology in the Trenches

By Kathleen Kjolhaug

 

We received a threatening letter in the mail. It was from a credit card company who was telling us they were going to reduce our line of credit if we didn’t giddy-up-and-go spend some money.

Apparently, we had been delinquent in using this particular card for the last ten months. As there has been no activity on it, it is their policy to reduce the credit line of the consumer if not used sooner than later. We were given a timeline of two months before the threat would be carried out.

The fine print was revealing. It said that all we had to do was make ANY purchase whatsoever and they would not carry out the threat to reduce our use. Yuppers, they were going to bump us down one-thousand dollars from the amount initially given to us.

As we frequent this store, I just knew we’d be able to find a licorice stick or two to shake things up and keep things moving in our favor.

Just beneath the big bold letters of how much they’d reduce our credit, was the friendly part. “Next time you’re in the store, put your purchase on the ____ ____ Card, and watch your saving add up!”

Suddenly, my memory banks were flooded with words spoken to me years back. Upon bringing items home from various stores throughout our married lives, and announcing how much I had saved on this purchase or that, in jest I often got this response from my other half. “Why didn’t you just save 100% and not buy it?”

As I stared at the letter before me, I think I’m now in agreement with that idea. Perhaps we will allow them to reduce our credit line and save 100% by not running in to spend a nickel, just to save a dime. Perhaps we will buy something, or perhaps we won’t. I guess we are the ones in charge—so-to-speak.

I’m going to deliver the letter to the calmer half of us, and allow him to make that decision. For now, I’m passing the buck, and whatever he decides is fine by me.

In the meantime, I suppose the debt we might want to take a closer look at is the one which has been paid in full. Colossians 2:14 summarizes the beauty of what’s been done on our behalf. “He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”

He has covered each and every charge against us, even though we’ve racked up a huge amount of debt on account of our sins. “…He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness…” 1 John 1:9.

I sort of like that line of credit. My guess is—you do, too.  Amen.