Learning from the Bumps in the Road

Doesn't it always seem like when you're moving towards a goal, something pops up and gets in your way? We've definitely experienced this on our journey towards debt freedom. As you know, we're getting closer to finally paying off our HELOC. We've been "snowballing" this debt since July. Meaning at the end of the month, we send all extra money to the HELOC. In our excitement over nearing the end of our goal, we decided to send a little extra money in last week. We figured it would be the perfect week since the mortgage had already been paid the week prior, our other bills weren't due until the end of the month and our only expenses for the week were just grocery and allowances. All was well until Friday morning.

As Dave was driving Ashleigh to school, his car engine started stumbling and the check engine light came on. He stopped and checked the oil, which was very low. He filled it up but the check engine light remained on and the sputtering continued. He dropped Ash off and made his way to the garage and called me at work to come pick him up. We certainly weren't counting on pricey auto repairs when we transferred our extra money to the HELOC the day before.

On my way to pick up Dave, I kept thinking about how as we move closer to becoming debt free, we're experiencing more attacks or visits from "Murphy" as Dave Ramsey calls them. For us, car issues are particularly stressing due to having lost an engine several years ago as a result of an improper oil change. Since neither one of us are car savvy, we're left to depending on repair shops and possibly opening ourselves up to being overcharged. And having major car trouble was one of my biggest reasons for holding onto credit cards in the past.

But I've come to the realization, these attacks are really lessons to help us get over our fears. I feel strongly that the way we are moving financially, is the way in which God would want us to live. He would not want us bound by debt or relying on credit. He would not want us living in fear. We used our emergency fund to pay for the repairs and are now moving on feeling enriched by the experience. We're claiming victory over our debt and will not be deterred!