Owned

“If you borrow money with interest, you’ll end up serving the interests of your creditors.” (Proverbs 22:7 TPT)

The majority of ‘homeowners’ in the United States actually owe money to a lender. In reality, the bank ‘owns’ their home. The borrower makes payments, mostly interest on the principal, for decades.  Many people refinance their debt or buy more expensive homes--binding themselves into longer terms of bondage. A mortgaged lifestyle is equivalent to indentured servitude. Those who are in debt are not free. Their choices are controlled by their creditors. 

In a similar vein, the majority of humans are dependent on the opinions of others for their sense of self-worth. Our identities and our values are borrowed. We serve the interest of our creditors. We have mortgaged our souls to social validation, making regular payments to establish equity in our own dignity. We are controlled by our addiction to validation. We try to buy ourselves back with incremental installments. We imagine we are in command of our choices, but in actuality we are indentured to the affirmations of others.