Dealing with debt! It wouldn't be an understatement to say we are in debt! I know in this climate we are not alone, and quite frankly we're past the stage of self pity - yes, we did accept the credit cards and the loans, and now my husbands business has closed and we're pretty much broke. Obviously some days are harder than others and we have found ourselves crying out to God that we are willing to do anything to get ourselves out of this whole, but we need his help. I am reading a book called 'The Money Secret' by Rob Parsons at the moment. Don't get me wrong I'm sure it has some useful advice for some people out there, maybe we are too far gone, but my main issue with it is that it seems to be aimed at a very young audience. I wouldn't use the word 'patronising' but it is almost like it is written for 10 years olds but with an adult theme, I'll stick with it anyway. If there is a purpose to the paths we find ourselves going down, whether it's debt (check), marital problems (check), health issues (check) or bereavement (I am thankfull to God I can't check that box yet), I think what God has taught me is that we can show our kids how to not get it wrong! That seems basic, but I did not realise when I was a small child that my parents had financial issues. It is only as an adult when I have spoken to them about how wrong it's all going that they say "oh, it was the same for us, the bank were always on the phone and we couldn't tell them when we were going to pay, the money simply wasn't there" Maybe it's a generation thing, privacy, but if I had grown up aware of their struggles, would it have changed the way we were with our own money issues? It is no secret within our family amongst our children that we are now on a very tight reign where money is concerned, so much so that I think it is a great testament to our son, that when we told him there was no way we could get him the 3DS for his birthday (even if we had the money, we wouldn't have spent that much on a birthday!), he didn't sulk, or even show his dissapointment graciously, what he actually did was save his £17 a week paper round money, until he had enough not only to buy the 3DS, but to buy it on the release date - a month before his birthday! The thought of borrowing and paying back didn't come into it, God really worked in our household to show that lesson, and if we have to struggle a bit so that our kids can learn from our mistakes, it's ok by me!

Like Joyce Meyer says "the only way to get out of debt, is the opposite to how you got into it!"

But even better is what it says in Psalm 84:11 “Our Lord and our God, you are like the sun and also like a shield. You treat us with kindness and honour, never denying any good thing to those who live right”

We live rightously because Jesus took our guilt on the cross, so whenever I start to worry about how to make the next payment or buy the next meal, I just say to God I know you will not withhold anything I need from me!