Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay – Ecclesiastes 5:5
“My partner and I have been talking to all the residents on this block to see if anyone may have seen or heard anything involving the recent home invasion,” the detective advised. “I did!” the twelve-year-old boy excitedly announced. “I clearly remember hearing about a month ago, the people next door yelling they’ll need to start robbing Peter again to pay Paul. Hey, I think you guys need to check for other robberies with a Peter living in the home. I can’t wait to tell the guys at school that I may be living next door to serial thieves!”
Hopefully, the opening parody prompted a smile about the far-reaching imaginations of a preteen by misinterpreting a famous idiom. This humorous irony came to mind as I recognized the future consequences of pursuing a certain item and how it would require “Robbing Peter to Pay Paul.” Doing so would not only jeopardize my credit but also return me to the financial insecurity that God had delivered me from.
While shuffling debts may seem like a harmless temporary solution for getting something desired, it’s very misleading because it ultimately robs not only Peters of their legal claim, but also the peace that comes from being a good steward of what’s been given.