I might have mentioned in one of my previous posts that I was an aspiring musician when I was growing up. I started learning the organ when I was in second grade. My Mom was insistent that both me and my sister learn to play a musical instrument. My sister’s choice was the slide guitar. When it was my time to decide what to learn to play I was convinced I wanted to play drums. Upon discovering I had as much natural rhythm as a sea slug I chose the electric organ. That choice had a lot to do with the fact that my Dad had won a “Thomas” organ in a drawing at the New Mexico state fair. It was just sitting there in our living room because no one in the family knew how to play it. My Mom was over the top thrilled when I decided I was the one to make that two keyboard, mahogany beauty sing. That was years before the organ found its niche with rock bands like Iron Butterfly on their iconic song “In A Gadda da Vida” and “Light My Fire” by The Doors.
When I turned 13 I became bored with organ lessons and would much rather spend my time playing football, shooting hoops or hanging out with my first steady girlfriend, Pam. I stopped practicing regularly and my teacher, Mrs. Wilson, became frustrated with my lack of interest and suggested my parents were wasting money on weekly lessons. Truth be known, Mrs. Wilson had a lot to do with my attitude. She was mean and wouldn’t hesitate to belittle me for making mistakes on the intricate, classical music she was trying to force me to embrace. A 13 year-old enjoying classical compositions like “Liebestraum” or “Rustle of Spring?” Give me a break – but that’s for another post. This post is really about debt and the political movement to eliminate student loan debt. Yes, I know there doesn’t seem to be much correlation between playing the organ and paying your debts but hear me out. This writing is about another lesson learned from my loving, guiding father.
The Bible, in Romans 13:8 instructs us to “let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” About going into debt the website “Got Answers” explains, “At the same time, the Bible does not explicitly command against all forms of debt. The Bible warns against debt, and extols the virtue of not going into debt, but does not forbid debt.”
So how does this relate to the lesson I learned when I was 13? When my Dad recognized I was quickly losing interest in continuing my pursuit of learning to play the organ he suggested I consider joining a rock band. There was one major roadblock. To be an organist in a rock band one needed a portable organ and amplifier. All I had was the console organ sitting in our living room and there was no way that was going to get moved every time the band held practice or had a gig. Besides, by that time the old free Thomas organ had been replaced with a beautiful, state of the art, Baldwin with a highly polished cherry wood cabinet. My Mom would have gone into convulsions at the thought of that thing getting scratched. Knowing I was in a bind my Dad decided this was a perfect chance to teach me about borrowing money and going into debt to pursue a desire. He sat me down and said he would take me to the big musical instrument store in downtown Albuquerque. If we could find an affordable, acceptable, portable organ and amplifier he would buy it with the agreement I would sign a promissory note back to him and then make the payments as prescribed. I found a Farfisa compact organ for $300.00 and a suitable Ampeg amp for another $90.00. After again going through the terms of the deal with my father I signed his hand written promissory note, walked out of the store with my new equipment and embarked on my first real experience with debt!
I did whatever I could do to pay my Dad back. I mowed lawns, caddied at his golf course, had a paper route, if the band was fortunate enough to land a job playing a private party, a high school dance or at the NCO club on the Air Force base, all that money went to paying off the organ and the amplifier. I just about had it all paid back, when we moved to Colorado, I joined a new group and during practice one afternoon the speaker in that old Ameg amp blew and I was in trouble. It was like starting all over again. I still owed some on the original note but needed to borrow again because “Bitter Wind” was certainly on it’s way to rock and roll stardom and without an amp little Dougie boy was on his way out the door. All the time I had spent learning the organ leads for classics like Santana’s Evil Ways, Three Dog Nights version of Chest Fever, The Doors Light My Fire and The Zombies Time of the Season would go to waste. Enter my Dad again. Knowing my predicament and trusting me, He cosigned on a loan to help buy me a new Emrad amp and the debt payback dance started all over again, with the remaining balance from the first loan still outstanding. There was no relief from the original debt, it was still payable in full. That was an early experience in digging the old debt hole deeper. When I graduated college he again stepped up and cosigned a loan so I could buy a car. It was a 1973 Mercury Capri, yellow with a black vinyl top and black interior. It was $3,200.00 and I thought I had lost my mind. How on earth would I pay that back? My Dad never hesitated to help me because he knew that due to the lessons he taught me I understood what debt was, the obligations it creates and the need to be faithful in paying back what I owed. Back in those days the lender would give you a coupon book, 12 coupons for 12 payments for one year. When it was close to the end of the payment year you would get a new book of payment coupons and start all over. You could even put cash in the envelope but I chose to write checks because it seemed more sophisticated and always gave me one or two extra days with the money in my account drawing interest.
The point is: My Dad taught me what debt is and how it must be handled. There was no forgiveness, no “woe is me I just can’t find a job.” There was no pandemic to blame things on. If you borrowed money, no matter if from a bank, a friend, a loan shark, or heaven forbid, your sister – you paid it back, with interest.
I don’t want to politicize this (it never does any good) but the reality is, in today’s world the politicians are using consumer debt as a way to secure votes. Take today’s debate about student loan debt for instance. The Biden administration started using student loan debt as a political football prior to the last general election. In the last few days the Supreme Court struck down his plan to relieve millions of student loan borrowers of their debt by wiping out a portion of their obligation and placing the burden squarely on the backs of the public. Now that is a great lesson to teach a young person. Not only does it send a message that those borrowers do not need to be accountable for their debt, it also belittles them by questioning their intelligence for making the decision to borrow the money in the first place. That message is, “oh, you poor thing. You really aren’t smart enough to know what you were doing when you signed on that line. But congratulations on being smart enough to get a higher education. Now, vote for me because I’m going to give you free money.”
I am getting way too political here. My real encouragement to you is to train your children well. Do as my Dad did and make sure they know what assuming debt is all about. Make sure they know there is a cost to getting in debt. We all need to understand that paying off our debts is not only lawful, it speaks to our morals, our integrity, our respect for what is right, and most importantly it is Biblical as stated in Romans 13:8.
There is, however, one more part of the debt story I need to tell. Each of us has compiled mountains of debt in the form of our sin. We have been offered a free way out from under that sin in the form of Jesus Christ. His payment of our debts is not tied to our vote. His payment of our debt does not burden someone else by piling that debt on them. There is no interest rate attached to His sacrifice. There are no payment coupons to mail in, month after month until the debt is fully paid. This is not something that can be approved or dismissed by Congress, the Supreme Court or any federal branch or agency. It is interesting to me that some 43.5 million Americans owe money on federal student loans. The majority would readily accept the “free money” the government is trying to give them, knowing that eventually the cost will come back to them in higher taxes, more fees, stricter regulation and reduced availability of financial assistance for future generations. And yet, a huge portion of that population turns their back to receiving free relief from their most critical debt, their sin debt. Not only would saying yes to Jesus wipe out that debt but it includes the unimaginable gift of eternal life.
Do not let your children or grandchildren go through their developmental years without learning about debt and the obligations it creates. At the same time do not let them grow up without hearing the message of the free gift of The Gospel. The free gift of grace. A gift without future consequences. A gift that will lift a burden from their shoulders and allow them to thoroughly enjoy the life God created them to live.
Doug's Journey 