Luke and I were over $100,000 in debt when we were married in 2015 and everyone we knew told us that we were just like everyone else. We were told that normal millennials were graduating with crazy amounts of school debt and you know what, they were right. As a result, we weren’t phased in 2015 by the fact that Sallie Mae largely owned our immediate future. She owned over $100,000 of our future.
When Luke and I were $100,000 in debt, we didn’t really dream about what life could be like without debt. We really didn’t talk about it much. Why not? It’s because our dreams seemed confined to the money that we had left over each month, which wasn’t much after all of our bills and loans were paid. In a sense, we were operating in the present and not thinking with financial goals in mind. Once we decided that we wanted to be debt free (because we saw others could do it), we started dreaming with an end in mind which has generated dreams far greater than we could ever have imagined.
A question that I often asked myself is: why did it take getting out of debt to start really dreaming big? For us, putting our hard earned money toward debt and not having any money left over at the end of each month really put a damper on the way we thought about our financial future.
Recently, the hope that we have been given just in knowing that there can be a quick end to debt has been liberating enough to allow us to start dreaming about future trips we want to take together, the way that we want to bless others and even the kinds of things we could do full-time (like be a stay-at-home-mom or even start a business) if we didn’t have any debt. This has been a WONDERFUL addition to our marriage!
The Bible (God’s living Word) tells us to not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but to instead be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Then we will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will for our lives.
-Romans 12:2
It’s time to start dreaming big. Dream with us! 🙂 What would you do if you didn’t have any debt? Maybe you have worked your way out of debt; how is life different without any debt?
Your words are so encouraging! I have been working on paying off my debt for the last few months and excited to see where life will take me! You two are an inspiring couple and I’m anxious for your next post 😁
Thank you so much for your kind words, Aimee. We are so excited for you and can’t wait to hear of all of the wonderful things you are doing! Definitely keep us updated, there are so many exciting things ahead! 🙂