Sometimes in the middle of hardship, a blessing arrives.  

She had worked in banking and finance. She knew about credit, loans, and the importance of managing money. Yet years of financial hardship had brought her to a place she never imagined: filing for bankruptcy. She was raising two children, rebuilding her life, and carrying the weight of debts that refused to stay in the past. When she finally made the decision to file, she told me, “Never in a million years did I imagine I’d find myself in that position.” I suspect many people who search for should I file bankruptcy understand that feeling. The numbers may be overwhelming, but so are the fear, the disappointment, and the question that is tough to say aloud: What does this say about me?

Dual Blessings in the Midst of Bankruptcy

The day this beautiful woman celebrated seven years of sobriety, she also filed for bankruptcy. She had worked tremendously hard to rebuild her life, and the people in her faith community had given her an opportunity when she needed someone to believe in her. Then, around that same turning point, she received an email offering a sample chapter of my book, The Morality of Money. 

I’d been contacting churches to spread the word about  The Morality of Money because I know firsthand that people who are hurting, frightened, and feeling alone often seek answers in the pews. I entered those doors when I needed help. I knew my book could offer help and hope to those struggling financially. I had no idea where those emails would land or whom they might touch.

“Then, your email arrived with the first chapter of your book! The timing was unbelievable.”

She wrote to tell me she was hooked by Chapter One, START SAVING NOW. She even purchased the audiobook, despite admitting that she wasn’t a fan of audiobooks. When she asked for a complimentary copy of the complete book, I wrote back personally and offered it along with a sample of the Financial Guide I am developing. Her response was immediate and full of joy: “The fact that you personally responded brought me SO much joy!” Then she shared more of her story, including struggles that had taken tremendous courage to overcome. I was humbled by her trust and moved by what she told me next.

“I even printed parts of the chapter and hung them around my home as reminders.”

“Remember…YOU are your most important outlay.”— The Morality of Money

Of everything she might have taken from the chapter, one simple idea had stayed with her: pay yourself first. When money is tight, those words can sound almost absurd. How can you save when so much of what you earn is already spoken for? But the principle is not about pretending bills don’t exist. It is about giving your own future and your financial security priority in your decisions, even if you must begin with very little. She had been taking difficult steps toward a different life before my book arrived; I would never take credit for her recovery or her financial progress. What touched me was that the words helped her recognize a possibility she could act on.

“When you said, ‘pay yourself first,’ I finally understood what that meant.”

And then came the sentence that stopped me. She wrote, “As of yesterday, I am officially debt-free and have a savings account!” I read it again. A savings account may sound like an ordinary financial milestone, but to someone who has spent years struggling with debts, garnishments, and uncertainty, it can represent an entirely different way of imagining tomorrow. She wasn’t telling me how much was in it. She was telling me that she had begun. The hope in her words was unmistakable.

“As of yesterday, I am officially debt-free and have a savings account!”

Knowing About Money Is Not the Same as Changing Your Financial Future

One reason her story matters is that she had worked in finance. She understood money professionally and still struggled with it personally. That doesn’t make her unusual or less deserving of compassion. It illustrates something I’ve learned after decades of teaching financial principles: knowledge is important, but the choices we make are also shaped by habits, pain, circumstances, relationships, and what we believe about ourselves. I’m exploring that very subject in the Financial Guide. I’ve been writing about quitting smoking and drinking, two changes I knew would improve my financial security. Knowing what those habits cost me did not make quitting easy. Real change took time, patience, and a much deeper shift in priorities than simply subtracting an expense from a budget. 

This is why The Morality of Money goes beyond the dollars and cents of financial security to the root of what can keep us broke–our habits, our fears and our goals for the future.  

This unique approach to financial education was valuable to her. She had tried other advice without finding a way to make it work for her. She wrote, “I never was able to take any advice from Dave Ramsey, so I say you’re doing wonders!” People need more than one path toward understanding money. What helps one person may leave another feeling judged, discouraged, or unable to begin. The Morality of Money was written to make economic principles accessible while recognizing that every financial life is also a human life.

Should I File Bankruptcy?

I can’t tell you whether bankruptcy is the right choice for you. What I can tell you is that there are many solutions available, and the fact that you’re reading this article tells me something important: You’re looking for answers, and you’re willing to explore the possibilities to find the ones that are right for you. Seeking solutions is the most important thing you can do for your future well-being.

Financial difficulties can make us feel trapped, as though our choices have disappeared. But there are often more options than we realize, and sometimes a blessing meets you when you need it–just like this reader getting a book sample in her inbox on a most momentous day.

You’ll find lots of help in  The Morality of Money. We’ll explore faith-based decision-making principles that can help us evaluate our options, recognize trade-offs, and make choices that support our long-term financial security. We also explore financial basics such as credit scores and debt, including bankruptcy, how it affects your credit, and why the fear surrounding it can sometimes be worse than the financial reality. Understanding how credit works, what can be rebuilt, and how today’s decisions may affect tomorrow’s opportunities gives us a much stronger foundation for moving forward. The goal isn’t to make every decision perfectly. It’s to make informed decisions that serve our future rather than allowing fear to make those decisions for us.

I know something about financial hardship myself. I’ve experienced times when my circumstances were far from what I had planned, and I understand how frightening and discouraging financial uncertainty can feel. But I also know that difficult circumstances don’t define us, and they certainly don’t have to determine what comes next. Sometimes the experiences we would never have chosen become the very ones that teach us the most about ourselves, our priorities, and the possibilities ahead. Financial hardship is not the end of your story. It can be the beginning of an entirely new chapter.

A Message of Hope

When I first contacted churches, I hoped my book might reach someone who needed encouragement and useful ideas. I never expected one reader to write back with such openness, or to tell me that passages from my book were hanging on her walls. She had already done extraordinary work to rebuild her life, and I was grateful to have played even a small part in what came next. I told her she would be in my prayers and that I hoped she would keep in touch. I meant it. Her words reminded me that behind every email address and every frightening financial decision is a person whose story deserves to be honored.

“Thank you for being part of my financial journey.”

Those were her words to me. But the gratitude runs both ways. She reminded me why I wrote The Morality of Money, why I continue creating the Financial Guide, and why it matters to meet people where they are rather than tell them where they should be. 

If your own financial future feels frightening, I am grateful you found this page. Your future is brighter than you may realize. This woman’s story and mine as well illustrate that our pasts are real, but that is not the whole story. There may be difficult decisions ahead, but with time, perseverance, and a willingness to consider new opportunities, you will likely find a future you cannot yet imagine. Sometimes the first step is simply allowing yourself to believe that the next  chapter will be even better yet.

To the reader who trusted me with her story: thank you. Your words have stayed with me.