Brad Hewitt and James Moline: Add a better substitute

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Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give! Proverbs 21:26

“There’s a mentality that often drives debt reduction. It says, “Get out of debt and your life will be better.” “Just do these easy steps and you’ll be financially home free.” “Go without now so you can accumulate more in the long run.” “Don’t spend now so you can spend later.” But any solution that offers a quick fix to an entrenched problem reflects the consumer myth that we can have what we want when we want it. Any approach that subtracts something from our life without adding a better substitute just creates a craving for more. And the crazy idea that we should get out of debt now so we can buy more later feeds an unhealthy longing to acquire more when we already have enough.

Can we make this really practical? You might be reading this book while sipping a five-dollar cup of coffee, a daily habit that makes a large dent in your budget than you want to admit. Maybe you’re dressed in clothes you “paid for” with plastic. And perhaps you drive a new car to a job where your paycheck doesn’t cover your bills. Something inside you realizes, This doesn’t add up. You understand you need to change. So with fresh resolve you slice your spending right and left. You swear off your favorite coffee shop, shopping mall, and car dealer. We agree with you that unhealthy habits indeed need to change. But we want to suggest a different starting point: begin by adding more good stuff.

By adding “more good stuff” we don’t mean another round of spending. We’re talking about leading with generosity grounded in grace. Instead of putting all your energy into cutting, focus on giving. Start by volunteering. Spend time helping family, friends, and strangers in ways that also give life to you. Consider giving to a cause you care about, some dollars you didn’t give last time you saw a need. By leading with generosity you begin to quiet the gnawing hunger you thought you were satisfying by buying more and more stuff. Soon you will see the good results that come from an openhearted life. When you choose to live generously you break your persistent desire for more. And when that happens, it’s far easier to get out of debt.”

Brad Hewitt and James Moline in Your New Money Mindset: Create a Healthy Relationship with Money (Carol Stream: Tyndale House, 2015) 44-46.

Too many get-out-of-debt programs focus on not spending in the short run so you can accumulate wealth in the long run. This mentality deals with “slavery to debt” but fails to address the “love of money” problem that entraps people in perpetuity. How do we break free? Hewitt and Moline point the way: add a better substitute. Giving is the medicine that cures the sickness of debt. If you find yourself in debt, take their advice. If someone you know wrestles with debt, forward this post to them. Help them find freedom and life!