For more than 42 years, I have helped people become free from debt.

I have also experienced that struggle personally. I understand the shame, embarrassment, fear, and uncertainty that can come when you realize that your financial obligations have become more than you can reasonably carry.

If that is where you are today, I want you to hear something before we talk about bankruptcy:

"You are not your debt."

Your financial circumstances do not determine your worth as a person. Falling behind on your bills does not make you a failure. Needing help does not make you irresponsible or morally inferior.

In fact, asking for help may be one of the most responsible things you can do.

Bankruptcy Does Not Have to Be the End

Financial hardship can happen to responsible people

American culture often measures success by what we own, what we earn, and what we can afford to buy. We celebrate financial success, while people who experience financial difficulty can feel as though they have somehow failed.

But life does not always work that way.

People lose jobs. Businesses fail. Medical problems arise. Marriages end. Interest rates increase. A business opportunity does not work out. A family member needs help. Sometimes a person simply gets caught in a cycle of borrowing that becomes impossible to escape.

And sometimes, despite doing many things right, the numbers simply stop working.

Debt statistics represent real families

Today, Americans are carrying an extraordinary amount of household debt. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, total U.S. household debt reached approximately $18.77 trillion at the end of the second quarter of 2026. Credit-card balances alone were about $1.26 trillion.

Those numbers represent more than statistics. They represent families, parents worrying about how they will pay the next bill, people lying awake at night wondering which creditor they can pay, and people who are afraid to answer the telephone because they know who may be calling.

If you are one of those people, you may feel as though you are standing at the edge of financial ruin.

But I want to suggest a different way of looking at it.

This does not have to be the end of your story. It can be the beginning of your freedom.

Bankruptcy can be a fresh start

Bankruptcy is a legal process created, in part, to give people who cannot pay their debts an opportunity for a fresh financial start. It is not something that should be entered into casually, and it is not the right solution for every person.

But neither should it be viewed as something shameful.

You Are More Than What You Owe

When debt becomes overwhelming, it is easy to begin thinking of yourself in terms of numbers.

• How much do I owe?
• How far behind am I?
• What will people think?
• Will my family be disappointed in me?
• What will my friends think if they find out?
• Will I ever recover?

Those questions can consume you.

Your balance sheet is not your identity

But your balance sheet is not your identity.

The things you own are not your true measure of wealth. Your relationships, your character, your faith, your family, your friendships, and the people you love have a value that cannot be measured on a financial statement.

For me, the most important relationship is my relationship with God.

That is why I want to talk about bankruptcy not only as a legal process, but also as a matter of life and faith.

I am not offering this as legal advice, and I am certainly not suggesting that bankruptcy is a spiritual requirement. Rather, I want to share something I have learned through my own faith and through more than four decades of helping people who are struggling with debt.

What Does the Bible Say About Debt?

When I think about debt and freedom, I am reminded of the Old Testament laws concerning God's people and their treatment of those who were financially distressed.

In Exodus, the Israelites were instructed not to exploit poor people through interest on certain loans. Leviticus similarly instructed God's people to help a financially distressed fellow Israelite rather than profit from his hardship.

The Year for Canceling Debts

Then we come to one of the most remarkable passages concerning debt.

In Deuteronomy 15, God established what is commonly called the Year for Canceling Debts. At the end of every seven years, creditors were instructed to release certain debts owed by fellow Israelites. The passage describes this as a time of release and connects that release with God's desire that His people care for those who were poor and in need.

Think about that for a moment!

The ancient Israelites were not taught that financial hardship made a person worthless. They were not told that a person struggling with debt should be permanently condemned by that debt.

Instead, God's law included a mechanism for release.

That does not mean that the biblical Year of Release is identical to modern bankruptcy law. It isn't. The biblical laws were part of the covenant given to ancient Israel.

But I believe there is a principle here worth considering:

"God cares about human beings being free from oppression, including the oppression that can come from financial hardship."

Freedom Is More Than a Financial Number

When Jesus taught His followers about freedom, He consistently pointed beyond possessions and money.

The world tells us that freedom comes from having more:

• More money
• More possessions
• A bigger house
• A newer vehicle
• A higher credit limit

But frequently having more simply means owing more.

When debt becomes a master

Debt can begin as a tool and become a master.

A credit card can be convenient. A loan can provide an opportunity. Borrowing can sometimes make sense. But when debt begins controlling every decision you make, when you work simply to make minimum payments, when you cannot sleep because of what you owe, something has changed.

You are no longer simply using debt. Debt is beginning to use you.

That is why I use the word slavery.

I do not mean that financial debt is identical to the historical institution of slavery. It isn't. I mean that overwhelming debt can create a powerful sense of bondage, a feeling that you are working not toward the future you want, but simply trying to keep the past from catching up with you.

And that is where the possibility of a fresh start becomes so important.

You Do Not Have to Be Ashamed

Before COVID, many of the individuals I helped were driven into bankruptcy primarily by medical debt.

Medical debt is still a significant problem, but I have also seen increasing numbers of people overwhelmed by credit cards, signature loans, and other forms of consumer debt.

Many paths can lead to overwhelming debt

The reasons are different from person to person.

• Sometimes it is an unexpected crisis.
• Sometimes it is years of living with expenses greater than income.
• Sometimes it is the result of trying to maintain a lifestyle that has become impossible to afford.
• Sometimes it is simply a series of unfortunate circumstances that no reasonable person could have anticipated.
• And sometimes, yes, people make poor financial decisions.

But making a poor financial decision does not make you a bad person. It makes you human.

The better question is what happens next

The important question is not simply, "How did I get here?"

The more important question is: "What can I do now to get free?"

That is where I want this conversation to go.

• Not toward shame. Toward freedom.
• Not toward condemnation. Toward hope.
• Not toward pretending the problem does not exist. Toward facing it honestly and discovering what options are available.

A New Beginning

If you are considering bankruptcy, you may be frightened. You may be embarrassed. You may feel that you have failed.

I understand.

But I want you to consider another possibility.

• What if this is not the end?
• What if this is the beginning of a different financial life?
• What if, instead of spending every month trying to keep up with debts that can never realistically be repaid, you could begin focusing your energy on rebuilding?
• What if you could sleep again?
• What if you could answer the telephone without fear?
• What if you could sit down with your family and begin making plans for the future instead of constantly worrying about the past?

That is why I believe the word "relief" is so important.

Bankruptcy is not something to celebrate because debt exists. It is something that, for some people, can provide relief from an otherwise overwhelming financial situation.

It can create an opportunity to stop, take an honest look at where you are, and begin again.

And there is no shame in beginning again.

You are not your debt

• You are not your debt.
• You are not your credit score.
• You are not the balance on your credit cards.

You are a person with a family, relationships, hopes, dreams, responsibilities, and a future.

And sometimes the first step toward that future is simply having the courage and humility to say, "I need help."

That is not failure. That can be the beginning of freedom.

Talk With a Wyoming Bankruptcy Lawyer

So, let's talk about how that works. Call 307-235-1900 or send us a message.

Let us help you to freedom!