Paid In Full
After hundreds of moons of being out of college, I did something I had determined I would not do. Go back to school for another degree.
In December 2022, God called, and I answered. Honestly, he called me prior to this date but I suppose I interpreted it as God having the wrong number. Silly me, why would I think that the creator of the entire universe could have dialed the wrong number? *facepalm*
He seems to have called me quite a few times in the last five years for various other assignments, of which I have answered, and with much less concern that he dialed wrong. This time there were months of reluctance until he seemed to shout at me.
When the call to enroll in a master’s program came, I tried to find every excuse I could think of as to why I couldn’t answer. And with every excuse I gave, in return, God had a resolution. Doesn’t he always?
One of my excuses was financially related. Still paying on other student loans I didn’t want to accumulate any more student debt due to the cost of tuition.
Paid In Full
Naturally, when President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan was proposed, I had hope that I could afford this new tuition after all. If you have any student loans, then you may have been as disappointed as me when the Supreme Court struck down President Biden’s plan. With this news, I started to consider my budget and how I would manage two separate education finances.
Although this plan was struck down, the Department of Education (DOE) had a backup plan. Just two weeks after learning the decision of the Supreme Court, I received an email from the DOE indicating that under the alternative plan, I was eligible for some or all of my loans to be forgiven. I was excited!
I shared this good news with one of my friends and she reminded me of some scams that were floating around. But because the email came from the DOE, I knew it was legit. For double confirmation though, I checked my student loan provider’s website and there I found the same information (insert praise dance here).
Just a little over a month later, an email in my inbox read, “We have received payment in full on one or more of your loan(s).” I couldn’t believe it. While I was expecting some of my loans to be forgiven, I did not expect all to be forgiven. I went to my loan provider account to make sure it wasn’t a hoax and there I found that the loan balance was $0. Slate wiped clean!
Two days later, another email from the student loan provider read, “Your student loans have been forgiven.”
The words in these emails gave me a familiar feeling.
Under the old covenant, there was only the law of God. But because of its rigidness folks just couldn’t get right. But God! He had a backup plan (Hebrews 8:7). A substitutionary sacrifice that would take care of all of our sinful disobedience. A sacrifice that would not only forgive us but wipe our slates clean (Acts 3:19).
We all struggle with sinful behaviors stemming from our fleshly desires, but we have to repent and surrender our will for God’s will (1 Peter 4:2).
Just as Jesus told the woman at the well, “…go and sin no more” (John 8:11), we also must follow suit. While our sins are forgiven through his loving sacrifice and grace, it does not give us permission to keep doing it over and over again.
Having my student loans forgiven is a gift but it has nothing, and I mean NOTHING, on the priceless gift of forgiveness that comes from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He Paid It In Full!
Brothers and sisters, if you are reading this, please know that when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, your sins are forgiven. Not one, not some, but all of them. And if you need double confirmation on that, just check the source of the provider (that’s GOD). It’s called the B-I-B-L-E and it’s legit.
Reflecting Beyond the World
Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior? In what way(s) has knowing that your sins have been forgiven helped you live more freely?
Prayer
Father God, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ to die for my sins. Because of him, I do not have to live a life in condemnation. In Jesus name, Amen
