I saw online that Obama addressed the national debt in his speech today. That reminds me of a story. . .
Last week at a scout meeting, they brought in a local politician who happened to bring up the national debt as a minor point in his talk. He told the boys that each American’s share of the national debt is about $50,000. After he finished and moved into Q & A, one of the first hands that shot up was my 12-year-old son’s. When called upon, he said, “So you are saying that each of us owe $50,000?!” His great-grandfather—the man who made me drive all over Charlotte once to save 4 cents on a pack of cigarettes—would have been so proud.
I didn’t have the heart to tell my son that at his current net income (chores minus broken dishes), he would be able to break even with his portion of the debt at age 61. He clearly needs to mow more yards, feed more dogs, or ask his boss for a raise. Son, two out of three ain’t bad.
Debt always gets me thinking about the story that Jesus told Simon (the Pharisee not the disciple) in Luke 7:
“A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. (Luke 7:41-43, NLT)
It is staggering to try and get my arms around a fourteen trillion dollar debt. It’s staggering for a 12-year-old kid to think about starting out $50K in the hole.
Why am I not completely floored every single moment of my days at the immeasurable debt Jesus paid on the cross? Why do I think that if I “mow more lawns” and “feed more dogs” that I can in any way shape or form “pay off” my spiritual debt and earn my way to heaven?
It’s an enormous gift that we’ve been given. Calling grace “amazing” almost sells it short sometimes.
