Pay your debts, and be kind.

I always wondered why when a debit order is returned unpaid, why couldn’t the bank just say unpaid and leave it there?

But no, they choose to say dishonoured. Like, they are telling your creditor that there is no honour in your relationship with them. And that means that you, as the debtor and borrower have no honour!

And then what does the creditor do? They go to them people called the credit bureaus and announce, “hey everyone, this dude has no honour, we renounce him, make no relations with this guy!”

And so, for a time, you have no honour, and you cant be trusted, and you cant buy a house, or a car or get that denim at Edgars. And Edgars used to be the worst, they would call you if you lost your honour, at all and odd hours of the day to get you to pay, even when you are at a funeral hommie. They would want to know when you will pay them their due for the trinkets that you needed to look proper at the call centre gig.

But here we are, I think we have loosened up a bit, no? I just wanted to remind you that word is bond, as they say. And isikolodo asiboli they say in isiNdebele (the language of my ancestors), and that means a debt never rots, it doesnt die. Africans never believed in bad debts or provisions, or write offs!

I have learnt this with time, your honour and your word are important. And gratitude is key. If you cant repay, you do not earn honour. You can be prosperous. But you wont have honour. And the Lord will be hesitant to grant you His mercy. Let me explain.

Its like a student loan from a fund, you get the money so that you can build towards a future. When you do make it, you must give back, because your repayment goes towards building someone else up. If you get the money and never pay it back you have cost someone else their growth.

When someone does a good deed unto you and towards you. That act is an act of God, its an expression of His mercy. And if you havent learnt what gratitude is, and you dont pay back or pay forward, then your wealth, and your prosperity as you go about your biz, will be temporary. You will lose it. Most likely. But I do wish you well.

Because you have no acceptance of the good that has been done for you, by God, through His people. You hear? You have to understand, that we are all our brother’s keeper. And that extends further than us being blood brothers fam.

And some debts are not monetary bro, some debts are of the nature that support you and build you up to be a better you. You grow.

And thats God’s way. And you have to work that around and give it back so that the good flows in God’s ecosystem and His universe. Because its your turn to give back. So you must return the favour, when you can, and keep it all flowing, nahmean? Like the water.

Because if you dont, then when you lose it all, you will want great vengeance and you will have furious anger, because your wealth and prosperity was only temporary. And thats because you broke the chain of good. When you could have easily solved the problem, by being kind to God’s kindness.

Pay your debts.

I hope these words find you fam.