Re-Evaluation

Yesterday I watched a great video about a couple with two children. This couple had scrimped and saved and planned for years for their dream home. They sketched and drew every nook and cranny so it was just perfect for them.

After they purchased a large piece of property, they began to build their home. They took great pride in the size and roominess of this new place and even their children were proud to have a bigger house than all their friends.

After living in the house for a few months, the couple began to feel uneasy. They didn’t have problems with the house itself; it was the size. They kept looking around at all they had planned for and started wondering, Why did we do this? It’s way more than what we need.

They also noticed their oldest daughter’s pride in telling her friends that her house was so much bigger than theirs! What had they instilled into their kids? That it’s all about the size of things you own? The couple decided to make some drastic changes quickly.

Less than a year after moving in they put their dream home up for sale. They spent a lot of time explaining to their kids about what they were doing and why they were doing it. And then they took a trip. Not just any trip, but a missions trip to Haiti. They family saw first-hand what it takes to live happily. Families of 8 to 10 lived in two rooms, loved each other, and were always laughing! Was it a perfect house? No. Was it the biggest house on the block? No, but the family was happy. How could this be?

The couple and their children came home completely changed in their attitude about what kind of house they needed. They purchased a smaller home and began using the extra money they received from the sale of their dream home to fund families in third-world countries. The lessons they learned from their experience cannot be bought in a store. They had to personally experience them!

I’m right in this spot today as I decide to downsize from the large condo I’ve lived in for the past 4 years, to a smaller house. I don’t need two huge floors and 2300 feet of living space as a widow. I just need the necessities and then spend the rest of my funds helping others. It became a regular habit to take care of others when my husband and I began making good money from our brokerage business. It was not about what we could obtain, but what we could do with what God gave us. Even though my husband passed away almost 9 years ago, I want to continue that tradition until God takes me home.

Take a minute today to check yourself for pride issues. Don’t get caught up in what the world needs to see you doing, but what God desires to have you do. Make the necessary adjustments to put your life into God’s perspective. You won’t regret it!