I have observed over the years a fascinating aspect of
human nature: humans hate freedom. They fear it. They are terrified of it. Tell
people they are free to make a decision, and often they will get upset at you
for giving them that freedom, especially if you make a different decision. This
is a fascinating aspect of the sinful human nature: we tend towards slavery, we
tend towards being under the thumb of others. It is in our sinful nature, it is
like a gravity that it almost impossible for most people to resist. Indeed,
some people will look at you like a madman just for saying that you should
resist this gravity.
We see this in the account of the Exodus. Once being free
of Egypt started to make life for the Israelites a little tricky, they freaked
out, and wished to go back, Exodus 16:2-3,
“2 And the whole
congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the
wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by
the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate
bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill
this whole assembly with hunger.”
The Israelites scorned their freedom because it was hard,
and would rather have just continued to be well fed. They were ok with owning
nothing, not even themselves, as long as they were well fed.
This human mentality for slavery, for accepting it, for
tending back towards it constantly, for flirting with it, and risking
everything by doing so, is I think one of the reasons why we are so addicted to
debt in our current age. Debt is like slavery in a very important way: it can
provide everything you need, and the things you want but don’t need, as long as
you give your body to it to serve it. Sadly for many people they enslave
themselves in debt for holidays, including the Christmas season,
“Millions of Australians are
nursing Christmas debt hangovers, according to new research by Finder.
A Finder survey of 1,039
respondents revealed 38% of Australians – equivalent to 7.7 million people –
have racked up Christmas debt.
The research found 15% will
take between 1 and 5 months to pay off their holiday season spend, while an
additional 5% will need between 6 and 11 months.
A further 3% – equivalent to
more than 600,000 people – say it will take them 12 months or more to settle
up.
On the brighter side, 1 in 6
(16%) Aussies say they'll be able to knock off their debt in less than a month.
Amy Bradney-George, credit
card expert at Finder, said the festive cheer can come with a hefty price tag.
"Many Australians
experience significant financial stress over the holiday period.
"The pressure of gift
giving and festive activities can often lead to overspending and an increased
reliance on credit."
Finder's research shows the
younger generations used credit the most to spread season's greetings.”[1]
For a host of reasons millions of Australians will go
into debt this Christmas for presents, food, holidays and activities. We all
know that festive feeling where you are thinking, “Ah, who cares what this
costs, we are on holidays…” But like the drunkard who says, just 3 more drinks
won’t hurt, you will wake up afterwards in serious regret if you swing out of
control just because it is the Christmas season.
Avoid this.
Christmas is meant to be about the free gift of salvation
we can all receive from trusting in Jesus Christ. It was never meant to be
about getting into debt. Jesus has redeemed us from our debt burden of sin. How
corrupt is it that we have then turned around and made Christmas about debt? It
is good to give gifts, but give from what you own, not from what the banks
own.
And if you have family members who try to pressure you
into giving more than you can afford. Remember often that the pressure is just
perceived. But if it is not, then you do no wrong in saying no to them and
telling them you are seeking to turn your financial situation around and avoid
debt in future. We do not honour Jesus by making his birthday about debt. He
would not want us to feel like we should do this, and therefore, you stand on
solid ground if you tell your family that you are getting off the debt treadmill.
Don’t be surprised if they get offended, some will. But they also will not seek
to pay your debts. You will have to live with them, not them. You are free to
make Christmas simple and debt free, and more and more about Jesus and his free
gift of salvation. In fact, I encourage you to do so.
List of References
[1]
Talyor Blackburn, January 2023, Dashing through the bills: 7.7 million
Australians in Christmas debt, https://www.finder.com.au/news/aussies-in-christmas-debt-2024
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