___ Months For the Rest of Your Life
Though I share a lot of stories on this blog and on the podcast, not all stories are created equal. Some stick with me, or dare I say, haunt me. One such story involves a couple I met with nearly a decade ago. This couple had been struggling with debt for the entirety of their marriage. You could cut the tension with a knife. The financial stress of the debt altered their life decisions and impaired their marriage. In short, they were miserable.
By the end of the meeting, I had created a clear, simple, and achievable plan to get them debt-free in about 18 months. It wouldn't be easy, but I knew they could do it. I assumed they would be excited about the prospect of freeing themselves from these financial handcuffs, but there was a silence in the room. After a few moments, the wife chimes in, "I'm not giving up 18 months of my life." "It's 18 months for the rest of your life! You'll have more than 50 years on the other side of the debt," I replied. She simply wasn't having it. They weren't going to cut back on their lifestyle.....period. They eventually walked out of the room, discouraged and defeated.
Five or six years later, I ran into them in public. It was the first time we had a real conversation since they left that meeting. When I asked them how things were going, they opened up about how things had only worsened. Not only had they not freed themselves from the debt, but they were in deeper and even more miserable. They both hated their jobs and felt stuck in many areas of life. They didn't want to "give up" 18 months of their life, but what they were subjecting themselves to was a far worse sentence than a little sacrifice and discipline for 1.5 years. I think about them a lot.
I was reminded of them a few nights ago when meeting an awesome young couple. This couple also has a bunch of debt. It feels intense, overwhelming, and life-altering. However, there's a different kind of energy about them. They are approaching it with determined excitement. When I said, "It's ____ months for the rest of your life," they responded with genuine excitement. What they are about to do will be so simple, yet so hard. But they are up for the challenge. Please pray for this young couple and their journey. I have a feeling they are about to write an amazing story. It will be a grind for this season of life, but that good work will unlock the next 60+ years in a way they can't yet understand. I'm grateful to play a small role in their journey.
Encourage the young people in your life. They need it, and they deserve it. They aren't victims of circumstance. They aren't condemned to a less-than-life. They aren't slated for failure. They just need to know it's possible.