The Four-letter Word with Interest

Did I catch your attention? I hope so. Because I have some pretty strong feelings about what I'm going to talk about! Any guesses on what that is? What's the four-letter word? How can a word have interest? Why is Krista asking all these questions? Why doesn't she just get to the point?

Okay, you win. The four-letter word is debt.

The prophets and other Church leaders have warned against debt. "Once in debt," President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. stated, "interest is your companion every minute of the day and night; you cannot shun it or slip away from it. . . and whenever you get in its way or cross its course or fail to meet its demands, it crushes you."

Yikes. I don't want anything crushing me, least of all something so worldly and abstract as a massive, dark cloud of debt.

There are three exceptions in which debt is acceptable, according to Joseph B. Wirthlin: debt "for a modest home, expenses for education, [and] perhaps for a needed first car." So that's good news. I don't have to become a millionaire at age twenty-three in order to purchase a home with cash in hand. Thankfully, BYU is a CES school which allows me to go through my undergraduate education without having to worry about massive debt (as long as I'm wise). I'm sure grateful for tithes and offerings that allow this system to work so well.

So we know debt is a scary thing. How can we avoid it?

I'll only mention one basic principle right now, and in very brief terms. It's simply this: don't spend money if you don't have it. It sounds simple, but it may be more tempting than we'd expect. In an age of credit cards and grace periods and a "I want it now" mentality, we might get caught up in the latest trends. Newer, faster, bigger, smarter, prettier... and more expensive. The best way to stay out of unnecessary debt is not to give in to the temptations.

So next time I'm tempted to swipe my credit card for a classy pair of high heels or a brick of fudge from the bookstore, I'm going to practice positive financial stewardship and consider whether it's really in my budget.

My Two Cents on Politics (...Tax-free)

I've tried to put these thoughts into words during a few conversations, and I think I've found a coherent way to say (well, write) them.

When it comes to politics, our society has tragically fallen into individualized egotistical mindsets ranging in severity from "I'm right, you're wrong" to "I'm right, and you're a hateful, bigoted, mindless idiot who wishes the worst upon the country and has less value than the dirt beneath my feet." I'm not just pointing fingers; I have been guilty of supposing my ideas are the only correct ones (though I certainly hope no one thinks of me as being on the extreme end of that scale).

But I've had a change of heart recently, because many people I love and respect are voting for candidates I wouldn't personally vote for.

This is the conclusion I've come to: God gave us brains and the gift of choice for a reason. If a citizen has become informed (actually informed--not just swayed by trending Facebook videos or news reports from a single agency), weighed the options, and brought his/her conclusion to God in prayer, that citizen has made the right choice. And I have no right to demean, accuse, or insult that person for that decision.

I saw a bumper sticker about six years ago that said, "God is not a Democrat... He's not a Republican, either." I think that'll always stick with me. Too often, we judge a person's morality and worth based on which box he/she's checking in the voting booth. We can promote our own beliefs without tearing down others' beliefs--or worse, others' character.

When it comes down to it, I really think that there is no single "right" choice, and I don't believe God thinks there is, either. He did, after all, bless us with intelligence, resources, freedom of choice, and the ability to pray for confirmation or redirection. As long as we are informed, prayerful citizens, we won't make the wrong choice.



Fine Print: Everything in this post reflects my personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect anyone else's.

"There was not one. . . who had not received many wounds"

In the Book of Mormon, we read accounts of ancient prophets and peoples. There are accounts of miracles and angels and mercy and love. According to the Introduction to the Book of Mormon, the "crowning event" of the Book of Mormon is when Christ visits the people in the Americas.

Sadly, hate and war also existed back then. The cool thing, though, is that even in the "war chapters" of the Book of Mormon, we can find tender mercies, faith-filled acts, and modern-day lessons.

I was reading about one such war in Alma 57. It took place around 63 B.C. In simple terms, the wicked people known as the Lamanites were fighting against the righteous people known as the Nephites. Because their fathers had made a covenant with God to never take up their weapons of war again, about two thousand young Nephite men fought for the liberty and safety of their people so that their fathers would not break their covenant.

One verse in particular caught my eye: