Paper or plastic?

Credit card debt can cost you more than money, and addressing it requires a spiritual conversion. Often we get into credit card debt when we’re afraid–afraid of loneliness, boredom, grief. Once, after a break-up, I overspent on massages and food to the point of needing to borrow money to pay the rent. We’re up against a serious pull — immediate gratification of deep hurts — in the credit card world. It’s a lot for a soul to resist.

Debt intrudes on our lives and steals something far greater than pennies a day. It steals a bit of your soul and the sacred space that allows us to be self-sufficient, with the Lord, the saints, and all of God’s bounty.

Find one spiritual practice that puts you on the road to recovery — prayer, meditation, walking, writing, singing. Make it something free, make it something beautiful, make it something your own. Pay off that debt, one penny by one penny, and watch yourself bloom. Save your credit cards for emergencies, when they can be useful, and throw off your burden.

Today we remember Helena, mother of Constantine, who died around 330. This message is adapted from “Paper or plastic? Credit card debt can cost you more than money” written by Clare La Plante that first appeared in the October 2005 issue of Café magazine.