February 18, 2026
Peru just fired their president, again. He was the 7th president of Peru in the last 8 years. That is not exactly the definition of job security. The man who is constitutionally positioned to take the office said that he doesn’t want to be president. You think? Who would want to take a job with a track record like that?
Every responsible job comes with the burden of leadership. Part of that burden is making right decisions even if they are not easy or popular. It is easy to whip out a credit card and buy something that makes you or others feel happy in the moment, but if you do not actually have the funds to pay for it, then you are simply being irresponsible.
Our country has a spending problem and it is massive. Our most recent fiscal year concluded with a deficit of $1.8 TRILLION. If you laid 1 trillion dollar bills next to each other, the distance would be long enough to circle the earth 3,900 times. Not only is our debt from this past year massive, but this brings our national debt (as of this morning, just before 8AM) to $38,649,060,779,204. By the time you read this, later today, it will be millions of dollars higher.
When someone talks about the national debt being so large that you can circle the earth with it in dollars over 148,000 times, you may just want to shrug your shoulders because it is beyond your capacity to really imagine. But I want you to think about the effects of this on you and us. Even though the leadership of our country has been irresponsible and, let’s be honest, voters have voted for this irresponsible behavior, we need to be aware of how all of this “spend now, but dump the consequences on our kids and grandkids” mindset is playing out. You can only the kick the can so far down the road before the cul-de-sac demands hard choices or chaos.
On a personal level, if you spend beyond your income and rack up debt, credit card or otherwise, you need to take action to change your habits immediately. The financial reckoning that our country is facing is going to hit those who are in debt very hard.
One of the major contributors to our national debt is our health care expenses. If you have health issues due to lifestyle choices such as sitting too much, eating junk food and too many sweets, then, again, take action to change your habits immediately. Do your part to limit the burden you place on medical expenses. You may not be able to control the irresponsible actions of others, but you can face your own.
Part of my burden in writing about this, is the fact that our national debt is having an impact on the value of the the dollar. We support the spread of the gospel by helping establish healthy churches around the world. The missionaries we support are supported by the dollar. When the value of the dollar falls it has a real impact on our missionaries whose rent goes up, food expenses go up along with everything else.
Who would seriously want to be president if they inherited such a massive debt along with a populace that seems to yawn over it? It would be maddening. If you need motivation to get or keep your house in order, then perhaps this little note will help. We are a people who live for the future. We are called to make hard decisions now in order to reap benefits in the future. I am also VERY grateful for the consistent leadership of our Finance Team and the faithful giving of our congregation that has allowed us to be responsible in making good promises and keeping them.
Grace and peace,
Bob
Sunday’s Text: Luke 17:11-19