The Greatest Debt You Will Ever Owe and How to Begin to Repay It in Life

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What do you owe to whom and why, and could you ever fully repay it? The problem with repaying anything in today’s society is the first thing that comes to mind is money. This article is not about money.

Some debts are far more meaningful to our lives than any amount of money could repay. These debts can extend beyond life itself, not only for the person or thing owed but beyond our own life as well.

Confused yet? Let me explain.

To whom or what are we indebted?

I came across a quote written by an 18th-century German writer, poet, and philosopher that made me ask myself the opening question in this article. The quote is:

"What do I owe to my times, to my country, to my neighbors, to my friends? Such are the questions which a virtuous man ought often to ask himself." Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801)

Besides the things Lavater lists, a few others come to mind. To what do I owe my heritage, my career, my family, and my very life? Perhaps these are meant to be included in "To what do I owe my times."

All of us are certainly indebted to our parents and all of our ancestry, whether we knew them or not, and whether they are alive or have passed. While both of my parents are deceased, I do owe them my life. How could I ever repay them?

A small way that comes to mind is I can remember and honor them in my writing about them. Leaving words future generations can read and understand a little about who they were and the son they created. I can honor them by the way I live, with my achievements in life, in my family, and in many other ways.

A big part of every life is the career we choose. Who do we owe for our career? It could be our parents if they helped fund at least part of our education. It could be to our teachers and professors. What about the bosses we had? The experience provided by the companies we worked for and the relationships made. We can owe a great deal to many, can't we?

What do you owe to your family for their effect on and on your life? I owe one of my aunts a great deal. Because of her, I came back to the USA and finished High School while my parents stayed in Europe for more than a year. She and her husband helped shape part of my life through their generosity.

While all family is important, at the top of the list are our spouses and children. They are the ones most of us would gladly give our lives for. Their importance and value are so great we could not repay our debt in the form of the life they have given us in a hundred lifetimes.

Then there is life itself. If you believe in God, you know who to thank and to whom you owe this great debt. If you are a Christian, it is even more personal because of the love and saving grace of Christ, who gave His life for us and gave us eternal life. How could we even begin to repay such a debt? While we can never work our way into His favor, we can do what we can to live a biblically-based life and point people to Him, which we are all called to do.

If you are an American, despite what anyone tries to tell you, you are fortunate to live in the greatest country the world has ever known. It is nearly impossible to repay the debt this birthright gives us, but some have done so through the ultimate sacrifice. They have fought or continue to fight for our liberty. In wartime and peacetime, on foreign and American soil, they have served us well. To all those who serve or have served in the military or on a police force to preserve law and order in society, we owe an incalculable debt.

It is sad when someone disrespects our country, feeling they do not owe it anything, including too many politicians. Their feelings of entitlement or greed overwhelm their ability to think. How can one not feel greatly indebted to those who founded the United States and those seeking to protect it? Repaying such debt can only be done in selfless service to our country or by making the ultimate sacrifice of giving your life for it.

Lastly, how could we ever repay our neighbors and friends? I would include a great many of my former colleagues in this group as well. Few words can describe the incredible impact they have on our lives. They are a large part of what makes us who we are and life what it is. In the end, life is all about relationships.

Can we ever repay such great debt?

How could such great debt ever be repaid? While we have already touched on ways we can attempt to repay some of the debt, there is far more to it. Outside of sacrificing our life, one way stands out in which we can begin to repay a small portion of the debt we owe. The answer lies in Lavater's words in the second half of his statement - "Such are the questions which a virtuous man ought often to ask himself." As was typical in writing of Lavater's day, "man" includes women, so we mustn't forget them.

Think about the word virtuous. It means to be good, moral, righteous, honorable, worthy. Are those not things most of us seek in our lives, especially when we near its end? Here are a few items that come to mind when we think of repaying our debts. We can:

• Do our best to honor others in life, especially those to whom we owe much.
• Offer a kind word, a helping hand, and an open heart.
• Seek to do right in all our debts by doing our best to act in a right and honorable way.
• Give credit where credit is due.
• Treat others with respect.
• Exercise discipline and self-control to keep financial debt at bay.
• Write words that honor others in the hope they will last far beyond our lifetime.
• Be grateful for the past that has shaped us, for all we have, and for all we are becoming.

What other ways can you think of to repay part of the great debt we owe in life? I would love to hear your ideas in the comment section below.

Final thoughts

The greatest way we can attempt to repay the enormous debt we owe in our lives is through gratitude. We can be thankful for and appreciate those to whom we are indebted. We can keep them in our memories, giving credit whenever we can, and write to let the world know what they have done.

Two thousand years ago, Cicero recognized gratitude births virtue in our lives:

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC)

Remaining grateful all the days of our lives is the best virtue we may ever find to repay even a small portion of the debt owed to others in this world. As Lavater said, as virtuous people, we ought to often ask ourselves questions about the debt we owe.

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