i am aware that my way of thinking is different than some.
some of the things you are about to read, may lead you to ask yourself...WHAT did she just say?
and you may also then think...yep. i thought she was psycho, but now i know. ha.
that being said..i just want to get you thinking.
you know, food for thought.
you know, food for thought.
you need to spend $100,000, spend 4 years of your life studying to receive an 8x10 piece of paper.
you need to borrow $250,000 to move into a wood structure.
here's the thing.
i live my life with the Bible as my manual. like...for everything.
every. single. thing.
here's what i think some people do.
they say that they feel the same...that the Bible should be the manual.
but - what they actually do is this.
take their preconceived notions.
accept those as facts.
then fill in the gaps and all other areas with the Bible.
so..going back to my first "facts"
the Bible says that we should owe no man anything.
it also says that we have absolutely no guarantee of tomorrow.
that our lives are a vapor.
however...we then find a house that we like.
and proceed to tell a bank that we promise we will pay them
$1,566.00 (the average in NH) for the next 30 years of our life. (please refer to the point above, where i mentioned that we have no guarantee of tomorrow!!)
how can we do that?
accept those as facts.
then fill in the gaps and all other areas with the Bible.
so..going back to my first "facts"
the Bible says that we should owe no man anything.
it also says that we have absolutely no guarantee of tomorrow.
that our lives are a vapor.
however...we then find a house that we like.
and proceed to tell a bank that we promise we will pay them
$1,566.00 (the average in NH) for the next 30 years of our life. (please refer to the point above, where i mentioned that we have no guarantee of tomorrow!!)
how can we do that?
every financial plan (including biblical ones) that i have seen starts out with the house sort of being...
assumed.
expected.
required.
the ending point.
satisfaction.
so i am asking some questions.
i think that we need to receive all our financial advice from the Bible, so how do people skip over this?
where does it EVER talk about a mortgage in the Bible?
i just think it's odd that this isn't even a issue? i never even hear people debating whether or not mortgages are biblically acceptable! they just accept it!
i find it interesting to hear people say that a "owning" a house gives security.
security?
the thought that if my husband were to lose his job tomorrow, we would still have our promise to the bank that we are going to pay them every month.
that maybe i would have to leave my work at home with my children to find a job?
that actually makes me feel the opposite of secure.
please don't misread this and think that i am judging you if you own a home.
i'm totally not.
my only point would be to give you something to think about.
and also, that maybe if you are getting caught up in the idea that the end-all is owning a home...
you will reevaluate your thoughts and priorities.
maybe.
just maybe...
my house?
is big enough.
maybe.
just maybe.
my closets?
are full enough.
maybe.
just maybe.
my life?
is a little easier than i complain about it being.
maybe.
just maybe.
we have allowed america to determine what is normal.
what is expected.
and what our life is supposed to be.
i have no interest in starting a debate here, or trying to make anyone feel guilty...or angry.
even in talking with some friends about this, different things have come up.
you know, equity and a whole bunch of other "americanized" counter arguments.
i do not want to argue about it, and i am not saying that i am 100% against mortgages.
i know that sometimes it is actually cheaper to own than to rent (not in nh!!)
but i never want to get comfortable, and lazy in my way of thinking...on any issue!
i just know this.
i have been in more situations than i could even count where i was the one leaving a conversation feeling frustrated, and looked down upon because i don't own a home.
a lot of times, it has been by people who were not intending to make me feel that way.
and to be honest...sometimes - i think it was totally, intentionally mean.
either way, i just want to be careful, and i also want to warn people of the dangers of allowing your thinking to be determined by things that are just plain not true!
i admit that when we were about 2 weeks from closing on our dream house, and it fell through... i was devastated! i didn't know if i was upset that we weren't going to get it? or that i had felt maybe we would "fit in" with everyone else who had a home, and now we wouldn't.
whichever it was, i know this now...
i am thankful that it did fall through.
crazy to even type out loud! but i am so grateful for the financial freedom we have right now.
maybe we aren't the cool ones who have our own place. but i can't let other people's opinion of me change how i live, how i act and especially how i feel!
and neither should you!
don't fall into that trap!
to me...financial freedom is not working 3 jobs and extra shifts so that in 24 years, we can pay off the house and finally be debt free, and able to do what God wants me to do.
all this rambling to say.
have you thought things out that you do? - not just buying a home, but everything you do...
all the way to the core?
all the way to the root of the issue?
with nothing being the accepted to start with?
with the fact that we came into this world with NOTHING
and it is certain we can carry nothing out?!
start with nothing!
then take your Bible, and start making your standards.
your beliefs.
your decisions.
God's Word is the only thing that never changes.
assumed.
expected.
required.
the ending point.
satisfaction.
no questions asked.
so i am asking some questions.
i think that we need to receive all our financial advice from the Bible, so how do people skip over this?
where does it EVER talk about a mortgage in the Bible?
i just think it's odd that this isn't even a issue? i never even hear people debating whether or not mortgages are biblically acceptable! they just accept it!
i find it interesting to hear people say that a "owning" a house gives security.
security?
the thought that if my husband were to lose his job tomorrow, we would still have our promise to the bank that we are going to pay them every month.
that maybe i would have to leave my work at home with my children to find a job?
that actually makes me feel the opposite of secure.
please don't misread this and think that i am judging you if you own a home.
i'm totally not.
my only point would be to give you something to think about.
and also, that maybe if you are getting caught up in the idea that the end-all is owning a home...
you will reevaluate your thoughts and priorities.
maybe.
just maybe...
my house?
is big enough.
maybe.
just maybe.
my closets?
are full enough.
maybe.
just maybe.
my life?
is a little easier than i complain about it being.
maybe.
just maybe.
we have allowed america to determine what is normal.
what is expected.
and what our life is supposed to be.
i have no interest in starting a debate here, or trying to make anyone feel guilty...or angry.
even in talking with some friends about this, different things have come up.
you know, equity and a whole bunch of other "americanized" counter arguments.
i do not want to argue about it, and i am not saying that i am 100% against mortgages.
i know that sometimes it is actually cheaper to own than to rent (not in nh!!)
but i never want to get comfortable, and lazy in my way of thinking...on any issue!
i just know this.
i have been in more situations than i could even count where i was the one leaving a conversation feeling frustrated, and looked down upon because i don't own a home.
a lot of times, it has been by people who were not intending to make me feel that way.
and to be honest...sometimes - i think it was totally, intentionally mean.
either way, i just want to be careful, and i also want to warn people of the dangers of allowing your thinking to be determined by things that are just plain not true!
i admit that when we were about 2 weeks from closing on our dream house, and it fell through... i was devastated! i didn't know if i was upset that we weren't going to get it? or that i had felt maybe we would "fit in" with everyone else who had a home, and now we wouldn't.
whichever it was, i know this now...
i am thankful that it did fall through.
crazy to even type out loud! but i am so grateful for the financial freedom we have right now.
maybe we aren't the cool ones who have our own place. but i can't let other people's opinion of me change how i live, how i act and especially how i feel!
and neither should you!
don't fall into that trap!
to me...financial freedom is not working 3 jobs and extra shifts so that in 24 years, we can pay off the house and finally be debt free, and able to do what God wants me to do.
all this rambling to say.
have you thought things out that you do? - not just buying a home, but everything you do...
all the way to the core?
all the way to the root of the issue?
with nothing being the accepted to start with?
with the fact that we came into this world with NOTHING
and it is certain we can carry nothing out?!
start with nothing!
then take your Bible, and start making your standards.
your beliefs.
your decisions.
God's Word is the only thing that never changes.
ALWAYS love to hear your thoughts and ponderings.
ReplyDeleteGreat questions.
Great pictures.
We don't use credit cards. We don't have any car loans. But, we do have a house loan.
In our area, for our extra-large family, it is actually less expensive to buy a house than it would be to rent.
I do see a big difference in having a mortgage rather than other types of credit. Since my husband was just unemployed for 3 months, we have processed all of this. In actuality, even if we were renting a house, we would have "promised" rent payments that would be due. And, most rentals in our area are 1 year leases. Also, we would have to live somewhere, which would cost something. So, the question of whether or not mama needs to get a job has nothing to do with whether we own a house or are renting a house.
Also, the BIG difference between a mortgage and other types of credit is that USUALLY the value of the house is worth more than you owe, so you can sell the house if you need to due to unemployment, etc...
On the flip side ... because of the unemployment ... we have been seriously looking at the possibility of moving to a less expensive part of the country. In many areas, we could actually pay cash for a house with the equity we have in this house. Then ... we would have no mortgage or rent payment. And, we get excited to think about all that the LORD could do with the "extra" money if our cost of living was so much less. (support missionaries, etc...)
All of our vehicles are at least 8 years old. Our "teen" car, the one all of the teens learn on, is Grampa's old 1988 Honda. While there are definitely days that I think, "Wouldn't it be nice to have a _____", by the next day I am so very thankful for our inexpensive little Ford Focus' (of which we have 2 and 2 of our young adults also have) that we will probably drive for another 10 years or so.
oh ... and just so you know ... we had been married 14 years, and had 7 children when we bought our first house (which was only 1400 sq. ft.). We lived in rentals for many years ... so no judgment here. :)
YES ... we do need to set our standards by God's Word. Absolutely.
Keep preaching, friend! No arguments/debating here ... just pondering right along with you.
Hope your week is BLESSED!
Laurel :)
AMEN AND AGAIN I SAY AMEN
ReplyDeletegreat thoughts sissy. and great pictures. wow. really makes you stop and think....and be so much more grateful for every single thing. from the big things to the small things.
ReplyDeletelove you so much!