Rev. Dr. Devin Strong

Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church

Debit cards and credit cards are two fundamentally different tools. We know this. To use a debit card, you first need to deposit money on it, or connect it to a funding source, like your bank account. The same is true of Venmo, Zelle, ApplePay, or any of the other electronic payment apps. To make a successful withdrawal from any of these, you must first make at least a corresponding deposit. Not so with a credit card. With a credit card. you can continue to make withdrawal after withdrawal, up to your credit limit, with only the promise that you will pay back the money someday. Of course, this is how so many Americans get into trouble.

The same image works in relationships. We all make withdrawals from our friends--when we ask them to pick us up from the airport, watch our kids so that we can have a night out, or just listen to us when we’ve had a tough day. Withdrawals are not necessarily bad. They make us human and draw us closer to the people around us, but they get harder to make if we are not also making regular deposits.

As a pastor, when I call somebody in the congregation, it is often because I am about to attempt a withdrawal. I am going to ask them to serve on some task force or committee or be a part of some essential task. It is what I must do. We are all in ministry together, and we all know that the church is a volunteer army, but my phone calls are effective only when I am also making deposits. I ask myself regularly: have I prayed for my people often enough, have I called to check on them just because, have I thanked them and told them what precious gifts of Jesus they really are?

Am I making sincere deposits, or am I treating the people in my life like my own personal credit cards?

We have some excellent grandparents in our congregation, and I tell them all the time how gifted they are at this vocation because they invest so much time and heart into their grandkids.

Presents are nice; a certain amount of money is necessary, but when it comes to relationships, it’s all about investing time. People know that you love them when you spend time with them without asking for a thing in return.

Several years ago, I worked with a colleague named Matt. Matt is wonderful at making people around him feel good about themselves. He constantly told me that I was a rockstar. The truth is, I was just doing my job, but because he thought so highly of me, I worked harder. I wanted to be as good as he thinks I am. Ever since then, I have tried to be a Matt for others--both volunteers and staff. What are your relationships with family members and friends like? What kind of coworker and church member are you? Are you a debit card or a credit card? It’s okay to ask for help. We all need it, and we need each other to accomplish big things together.

But in a country where Americans have racked up millions and millions of dollars in credit card debt, I, for one, want to be a debit card, making daily deposits in the lives of others.

God Loves You, and So Do I!