Credit cards. The bane of many a life.
Credit cards first entered my life in 1974. As a new grad with a university degree, I was just perfect for one. The first was from Shell. Everyone drives and needs fuel, right? That's what folks were thinking. And this was before the first oil crisis to hit the global market. The second one is now a collector's item. I was invited to apply for a Chargex card. These had launched in 1968 and were widely known. The limits were small by today's standards and the qualifying process involved several steps including paper forms. Now, this was in a day when computing was much more elementary and there was no internet. Chargex lasted until 1977 and was then switched to Visa.
Jumping forward a little, it is now 2018. Pam and I are applying for a mortgage to buy our house. Things have changed in the 20 years since we owned our last one. The bank has to qualify you first, not afterwards for one thing. And we are told I am carrying too much credit card debt to income ratio. Hence, all credit cards have got to be paid out and closed. Fine. It will come back to haunt me.
If you now go to do anything, it needs a credit card. Want extra points at the grocery stores; use this credit card and get rewarded. Booking a trip? Need a credit card. Booking accommodations? Need a credit card. Renting a vehicle? Need a credit card. It never seems to end. And then, to go with this, we continue to get warnings about how buried we are in debt because of easy credit. I know people who have six different credit cards and can spend $60,000/month if they run the limits. It boggles the mind. And causes huge problems.
The Depression was much easier. No one had anything. Yes, people were desperate in the towns and cities. However, there were always markets where you could trade. A bag of flour would get your daughter a new dress. A bag of sugar was worth so many packs of cigarettes. (More people smoked then.) You could swap eggs for veggies. Meat was worth more. And all of this trading was built around community. Life was simpler when everyone had little or nothing.
And credit has always plagued us. Even during Jesus' time. Compare, for example Matthew 18:21-35 with Luke 16:1-14. One of the biggest things that Jesus does is to work both with the system that is in place as well as outside it. In both Mark 2:13-17 and Luke 19, Jesus is eating and socializing with tax collectors who are totally despised for their positions. Notice that Jesus treats them as fellow humans and as ones who need the gospel.
Credit continues to influence our lives. It continues to be a source of stress. And it can be a source of acknowledgement as well. For example, "It is to their credit that I am alive today". I invite all of us to take time right now and pause during Lent. To whom do we owe how much? Jesus is the true source of our life, our forgiveness, our peace and our joy. Have we given him credit today? Pr. Scott
