Dear 22-year-old waiting in line at the bank,
You don’t know me, but I stood behind you today and overheard the conversation among you, your mom, and another person who knew your mom and was shocked to see you had grown up so quickly. You nervously held your stack of loan papers and proudly talked about the brand new car you drove off the dealer’s lot on Friday. I congratulate you on saving money for a solid down payment, especially while in college. But I heard your mom say something that I wanted to address. She said to her friend,
It’s time for her to become an adult and go into debt like the rest of us. Hi ho, hi ho, it’s into debt we go.
I just want to tell you it doesn’t have to be that way. Sure, there might be a time in your life when going into debt for a house or business in unavoidable, but even then, there’s a difference between “having” to go into debt and choosing your debt well. But there are a lot of situations you will face in the coming years that seem to require debt that really don’t. You look up to many of us adults who have been or are in debt, and it looks unavoidable, even the best choice. Well, we are not always good examples for those who follow us. Being an adult and going into debt are not inseparable. You have choices.
You can choose the new car or a used car.
You can choose the house of your dreams or the house of your means.
You can choose to charge a purchase or wait to purchase.
You can choose to save before you spend.
You can choose to know the difference between a need and a want.
Financial choices are just a handful of the many difficult decisions facing you as an adult. But adult choices are exciting, too. God gives you many gifts. How you spend, invest, savor, idolize, squander, and appreciate them is up to you. Since it all comes from Him, I recommend you look to Him for advice instead of the people around you who may not be presenting the best options to you.
Even when you’ve already made a choice, you can make the next good choice you face.
Ask God more than you ask people. Trust Him more than you trust the bank. He’ll be with you a lot longer than that car.
Sincerely,
A Mom with Different Advice