Our Dream Home
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We did it. We'd finally "arrived." We'd achieved "the American dream." After 12 years of marriage my husband and I pulled the moving truck into the drive of what we believed would be the last place we'd live. Four bedrooms, two and a half baths, a pool, and a yard the size of a small city wrapped in a six-foot fence was finally ours. We painted, re-carpeted, remodeled, and perfected our new home. Our children would enjoy the childhood I had only dreamed of with a neighborhood full of kids to play with and pool hopping in the hot summer sun. God had truly blessed us.
However, what started out as "the American dream" quickly became "the American nightmare." Gas prices soared, property taxes rose, and the price of food climbed to new heights. We never missed a mortgage payment, but we were barely making it. What was God doing? Hadn't he blessed us with this house?
Obsessed with money, we lost sleep, and we lost our joy. Our marriage suffered and so did our kids. We'd become enslaved to our white-carpeted castle. So we cut back. Things like the internet, eating out, and movies in the mail flew out the window. But that wasn't enough. More drastic measures were required; downsizing, moving back into town where the drive to school and work stretched no more than five minutes ahead.
At 30something and with two kids, downsizing was an unheard-of concept. Leave a gorgeous house in a quiet neighborhood away from the noise and activity of the city? Were we crazy?
"You won't save that much," some said.
"You'll never sell your house in today's market," others said.
"What about the kids? They love the pool."
"Your house screams 'you.'"
We heard it all. Still, we knew what we had to do. So we plowed ahead getting the house ready to sell, and finishing projects someone else would enjoy. It no longer mattered to us. God was changing us and our idea of the American dream.
Six days after the sign went into the yard, the house sold. We knew moving was God's desire for us, but it still shocked us. What now? Where was he taking us? And so began the arduous process of looking for a home while temporarily living with family. Not an ideal situation, but one we found ourselves in nonetheless.
We spent weeks looking for a home that would suit our needs: close proximity to work and school, a safe neighborhood, not a lot of work needed and something we could afford. In the end, God took us back to our old neighborhood in the heart of town where the noise and traffic are never far away. While most people yearned to get out of the craziness of the city, we moved right back into the middle of it. At times we felt like Noah, readying our house in a neighborhood deemed "unsafe" while those around us mocked and questioned. It didn't matter. That first night in our new home the four of us slept in the same room, and for the first time in years, I felt like I was home.
The house we left was beautiful, yes, but take out the people and you reduce it to just that, a house. Home has become synonymous with people, not things; simplicity, not debt; and most important, a place where God's voice is not crowded out by acquiring objects of no eternal value. This is our dream.
Kathryn Nielson is the author of a children's book, God's Creative World (Concordia). She lives in Illinois.
Copyright © 2010 by the author or Christianity Today/Kyria.com.
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Abhilash
Wonderful to read this. I like the last line, "simplicity, not debt". I'm married for a year and a half. And I try to consciously live a debt-free life, to live within our means. And the reward that comes with this is something that money just cannot buy -- peace of mind. Abhilash (Bangalore, India)
Renee
I really enjoyed this article, I have had a similar experience when God called me to full time ministry, and had me move from my house, and family; totally depending on him to lead me to the place he wanted me to be. Thanks for sharing. God does what He wants the way He wants When he wants.
tetty
Thank you Kathryn, am blessed and encouraged. My family just moved from a BIG three room apartment to two. My kids are 2yrs old and 6+months old. I am happy where i am now, can conveniently attend the same church with my husband, easy to clean,am sure of the safety of the environment bt for the noise of cars and lack of good water.....am satisfied, humbled and i know God has a reason for this.
Olu
To start a new ministry last year, my family moved to an apartment that is half the size of the one provided by the Church where I was a minister; and in a less elegant neighhourhood. We have murmured about many things that are not just right with our new home. However, it easier to clean and maintain. Besides, I believe this is humbling experience that will prepare us for greater days ahead.
Doris Fahnestock(Registered User)
Isn't God good?!! We have downsized too. We downsized a job, not a home. How could we possibly live on half our income? What and why was God asking me to do this? It seemed crazy. The good news is that we are now truly living. I'm not stressed, I have time to cook (less eating out), I am available for babysitting our Grandchildren, I have quality time to spend with our 15 yr. old special needs daughter which is something God has been speaking to me about. Downsizing, even when done in obedience, does not come without some pain. But the rewards are out-of-this-world delightful!
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