Discouraged by Slow Debt Progress? You’re Doing Better Than You Think

Ever feel like you're stuck in a never-ending battle with credit card debt? Yeah, I get it. We dive into that struggle today, tackling the question of how to stay hopeful when those payments seem to vanish into thin air. The key takeaway? It’s not about how fast you pay off that debt; it’s all about the direction you're headed. Discouraged by Slow Debt Progress? You’re Doing Better Than You Think. Every little payment you make is a step toward freedom, and trust me, those small wins add up way more than you think. So, let’s chat about finding that persistence and keeping your eyes on the prize, even when the going gets tough.

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Ever feel like you're swimming in a sea of credit card debt, and every time you paddle, the tide just pushes you back? Yeah, me too. This episode kicks off with a listener's question about feeling stuck in a debt quagmire, and let me tell you, Ralph gets real about it. He shares some eye-opening stats—like the average credit card debt is a whopping $7,800! That's not just pocket change; that’s a full-on financial boulder. The key takeaway? Don’t sweat the speed of getting out of debt; it's all about the direction you’re heading. Ralph’s personal stories about his own battles with debt and weight loss are super relatable. He emphasizes that every little payment counts as a step towards freedom. It’s like every dollar is a tiny declaration saying, “I’m done with this.” So, if you're feeling overwhelmed, remember: persistence beats perfection any day. It’s not a race; it’s a journey, and we’re all in it together, cheering each other on to that sweet financial freedom.

Let’s dive a bit deeper, shall we? Ralph shares his personal weight loss journey, and trust me, it’s a rollercoaster of ups and downs. He started at the hefty 430 pounds and realized he needed a serious change—like, yesterday! He tried all the crash diets (spoiler: none worked), but what really made the difference was consistency and commitment. It’s the same vibe with paying off debt. If you've got a mountain of credit cards staring you down, Ralph’s got your back with some solid biblical wisdom. Galatians 6:9 reminds us to keep at it, because we will reap a harvest if we don’t give up. So, whether you’re chipping away at debt or tackling a personal goal, the message is clear: keep pushing, celebrate those small wins, and don’t let frustration steal your joy.

Finally, Ralph wraps it up with some actionable tips and a warm invitation to join a supportive community. It’s all about celebrating the small victories—like not adding more debt to that already towering mountain. Seriously, if you’ve managed to pay down even $100, that’s $100 less than you owe, and that’s something to high-five yourself about! The episode ends with a heartfelt prayer, encouraging everyone to stay strong and trust in the timing of their journey. So, let’s lace up our boots, tackle those financial mountains, and remember: God’s got our backs in this journey to financial confidence!

Takeaways:

• Feeling overwhelmed by credit card debt is super common, but remember, every payment is progress.
• Debt isn't conquered overnight; it's about being consistent and staying the course, not rushing.
• Celebrate the small victories! Each dollar paid off is a step towards freedom from debt.
• Shifting your mindset from frustration to gratitude can totally change your debt journey.
• It's not about how fast you pay off debt, but how faithfully you stick to your plan.
• Join a supportive community for encouragement and accountability as you tackle your financial goals.

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Episode Transcript

(00:28):
I thought I'd start today witha listener question. Ralph, I've
been paying on my credit cardsfor months and it feels like I'm
getting nowhere. Every time Imake a payment, the balance barely
moves. It's discouraging. Howdo I stay hopeful when it feels like
I'll never get out of debt?That is discouraging, and I totally
understand that. You know,this is not easy. As we prepare for

(00:49):
today's show, Abby, myproducer, pulled some statistics.
Listen to this one. Theaverage credit card Debt is now $7,800.
And when they surveyed, halfthe people feel like they'll never
be free from that debt becauseso many people think freedom is about
speed. Oh, I got to get itpaid off right away. Listen, to be
honest, you didn't get intodebt overnight. It's not about speed.

(01:12):
It's about direction. Andlisten, I get it. You're so frustrated
by slow progress. But thething you're not realizing is you've
made small steps. You've madea commitment to paying it down. That's
a huge thing. And I've seenpeople realize their progress later
on by just starting small. Andlisten, being in debt can feel like

(01:32):
you're standing still. Butevery single payment that you make
is moving you forward. BecauseGod's not asking you for perfection.
He's asking you forpersistence. So let's talk about
finding that persistence ontoday's show.
This is Financially ConfidentChristian, your daily dose of gospel
grounded insight and faithdriven tips to to help you break

(01:53):
the cycle of financial shamewith confidence.
Hello there and welcome. I'mRalph. Thank you so much for joining
me today as we talk about howto break that cycle of financial
shame and do it withconfidence. We are in the midst of
a December series, what I'mcalling the December reset. A time
to reflect, a time to refocus,and a time prepare for the new year.
And today is a great thing totalk about. A lot of people get mired

(02:16):
down in debt. Well, I want toshare a story. Has nothing to do
with debt. I. But it's allabout being persistent and being
in that progress. And ifyou've listened to the show, you
know, I've talked a lot aboutmy weight loss journey. I got up
to a big fat 430 pounds at onepoint. There were times when I got
to that point where the doctorsaid to me, ralph, you're not going

(02:36):
to survive much longer. I knewthat I needed to make a change. Now
a lot of people say, okay,great, I bet you went on a Crash
diet? Yeah. Over the last 10years, I've been on about 15 crash
diets and they never worked.Not one time. Yeah, I'd drop a few
pounds. But then I gained itright back again. I knew that something
had to change. And whatchanged this past time? I'm going

(02:59):
to share some details withyou. I just got on the scale this
past Friday and since January1, I have now lost 62 pounds. That's
just this year. Now, I don'tsay that to brag because guess what?
This isn't about me. I haven'tbeen faithful because at the beginning
of this year, I said, God, Ican't do this on my own. I saw this

(03:19):
weight in front of me and Isaid, how am I ever going to fix
this? But it was thatconsistency. It was that day in and
day out decision. It was thatfaithfulness. Well, guess what? Debt
works exactly the same way.You might be facing at a mountain
of credit card debt. Andlisten, I've been there too. I remember
when I just graduated fromcollege, I just got married and man,

(03:41):
I loved credit cards. Man, Iwas buying everything, setting up
a new home and man, this, thedebt pile just got higher and higher
and higher. And it makes youfeel weary at times because you're
looking at it like, oh,there's no way I'm going to get past
this. And maybe you've came upwith a plan. That's great, you came
up with a plan. But you'relike, Ralph, I'm still not getting
anywhere. I've been payingthis for six months. I've been paying

(04:02):
this for nine months. Iremember being in that myself. I
wrote down on a piece of paperall the credit cards and the balances.
Man, I was shocked because Ilooked around, I was like, where
did that stuff go? You mightbe thinking the same thing. Where
did the money go? And I lookedat that mountain and I said, how
am I ever going to get pastthis? I did the same thing with my
weight. I looked at thatmountain. Well, if you're facing

(04:23):
that mountain right now, Iwant to encourage you with the Bible
verse. It comes from the bookof Galatians. It's from chapter six,
verse nine. It says, let usnot grow weary in doing good. We
will reap a harvest if we donot give up. So that's my encouragement
today, because God measuresfaithfulness, not speed. It wasn't
about speed. With my weightloss, it's not going to be about

(04:43):
speed. The listener who put inthat question about credit card debt
or debt, it's not going to beabout speed. It's going to be about
that faithfulness. And youreally have to be faithful in his
timing. Because when youembrace his timing, it leads to peace.
So here are some main points Iwant to talk about today. Here's
the things I want you toreally lean into. Every dollar that
you pay on your debt is adeclaration of freedom. You might

(05:07):
be saying, Ralph, yeah, butman, I'm not getting anywhere. You
are getting somewhere. You oweless now than when you started. That's
progress. That's a declarationof, I'm not going to live with this
anymore. That's a declarationof freedom. And because you're continuing
to do it, you're beingfaithful. Nae mine say, listen, it's
like the old tortoise and thehare thing, right? Everybody says,

(05:28):
whoa, the hare is fast.They're gonna always win. Doesn't
always work that way. It'sthat faithfulness. It's that day
in and day out, that month inand month out commitment that I'm
not gonna charge up the creditcards anymore. I going to pay that
mountain down and adjust theplan, not the purpose. Maybe you,
maybe you feel like I'm notgetting far enough. Okay, well then
go look at your budget again.Can you find 10 extra dollars a month

(05:52):
or 25 extra dollars a month?Your purpose is still set on getting
out of debt. Ask yourselfthis, what are some small wins you
can celebrate this very month?Maybe for you it's, hey, this is
a win. I didn't put anythingnew on the credit cards. That's huge.
If you were like me, you'realways putting stuff on them. That's
two steps forward, two stepsback. You're not getting anywhere.

(06:13):
But maybe for you, that winwas, you didn't add any debt to it.
That's huge. Because when youshift that frustration into gratitude,
it changes the dynamic. Andyou want to get somewhere with this.
You really want to accomplishpaying down that debt, turn that
frustration into gratitude andcelebrate those small wins. Well,

(06:33):
as we're celebrating rightnow, how about we pray for some help
right now? Lord, we come toyou right now. We are so grateful
for those small wins or thatsmall progress that we see that you
are making an impact in ourlife. And Lord, we just ask you to
help us to stay strong and befaithful in this journey. We know
it's not easy, Lord. We knowit's a day in and day out decision,
Lord, and we just have hope inyour timing, not in our timing. It's

(06:55):
so easy to get stuck on ourtiming, Lord, but we know you've
got the answer. And Lord, justhelp us to have freedom from that
shame and that freedom fromthat feeling of comparison. Because
we know in so many ways, a lotof times it's that comparison trap
that leads us into debt. So,Lord, we just thank you for your
graciousness. We thank you forthe provision you give us in our
lives when we ask this in thename of Jesus, Amen. Here's your

(07:17):
action item for today. I wantyou to really celebrate some wins.
Write down how much debtyou've paid off this year. You might
be saying, ralph, I've onlypaid down $100 of debt this year.
Well, guess what? That's $100of debt that you don't have anymore.
That's a win. You didn'tcharge it up, you didn't add to it.
And then the next thing, thankGod for it. And then ask for one

(07:37):
step of faith to take next.Because guess what, you can do this.
And if you're looking forencouragement, if you're looking
for accountability, I want toinvite you to our group. It's called
the Financially ConfidentChristian Community. It's a wonderful
place to go and interact withpeople just like you who are trying
to break that cycle offinancial shame and do it with confidence.
And it' easy to get there.Just go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join

(08:01):
again. That'sfinanciallyconfidentchristian.com/Join. It
won't cost you a dime. You canjoin for free. I'm putting a lot
of content over there,absolutely free. Now if you're interested
in supporting the show, thereare three additional tiers where
you can sponsor the show. Butagain, that's at financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join.
And as I close today, rememberthis small wins matter because God

(08:24):
sees your effort and you'recloser to freedom than you think.
I just want to encourage youright now. You can do this. Go out
there today and be afinancially competent Christian.
I have confidence in you. Haveconfidence in yourself. Because guess
what? God has confidence inyou and he wants you to be successful.
So stay financially savvytoday. God bless you. And I'll see
you again tomorrow on the show.