John 3:16

John 3:16 maybe the most widely recognized verse of the Bible to christians and non-christians alike.  God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…

Wow!  I know on some days as a parent you may wish to give up a child to get a break but in reality most parents would rather die than give up a child.  Now you are reading this and saying what the heck does this have to do with debt?  Did I surf into the wrong blog?

As of September 19, 2008 it appears that our economy is only headed for the same horizontal course or in a downward motion.  As a result many Americans are depression, blue or feeling low in large part due to the amount of debt they carrying.   The average American is carrying over $8000 in credit card debt.  $8000, that is 50-70% of some individuals wages for a year.  This kind of debt is crushing to an individual.

With this in mind, credit card companies know that individuals spend to make themselves feel better. We as human beings use the logic that if I can just get myself out of this depression, I can take on two jobs to pay off this debt.  Then it becomes 3 jobs or payday loans to pay off the debt but in reality you are not paying off the debt but rather you are barely putting food on the table.

This week has been especially tough for me.  Why?  Because two of my clients are expressing feelings of depression.  Some much so that I reccomend that they seek mental health assistance or their religous counsel to help them through these tough times.

One of the ways I have been taught to deal with tough times is to focus on something or someone else.  Meaning that if you are having a tough time maybe you could donate your time to charity, maybe you start talking walks through the park and observing nature, or maybe you take up a hobby.  All of these can be very effective to improve your mental health and give you a break from focusing on your debt or the economy.

Sometimes by donating time with others it will help you see that maybe your situation is not as bad as others.  This is no way to minimize anyone’s financial situation but merely an attempt to help others.  No individual’s life is worth losing of a debt or the current state of the economy.

God gave his only son and most of us could not even come close to matching this kind of generosity.  However, for us mere mortals sometimes when we step out of ourselves and give to others we may feel that what we have given is nothing.  The person on the other end probably will not see this act in the same way.  In fact for some the time you took to give of yourself may mean the world to them.  The act itself may not equal that of giving up one’s son but I think the gift of one’s self is still pretty cool just the same.

If you have thoughts of depression and suicide please do not try and handle this yourself.  Seek help.  You can call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433) or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).  If you are deaf you can use the TTY line at 1-800-799-4TTY (4889).

Knowledge is power, whether it is knowledge about your financial situation or knoweldge about the economy or knowledge about how to handle your stress.  Knowledge will give you power to deal with this situation and help you work through these tough times.

Written by Rachel Lynn Foley, Kansas City, Missouri Bankruptcy Attorney.