household values

It's a quiet Sunday morning over here at the Cushman house. Blair is down at camp, preparing for his Sunday morning message (that he'll share by the time I've finished writing this blog), Malacai is taking his mid-morning snooze, and I'm enjoying the stillness. My heart, of course, is anything but still: we put an offer in on a house yesterday.


Have I told you that we're moving? This is our last summer at Camp Eagle, and in a few short weeks we will load up and drive the one hour, fifteen minutes to Kerrville Texas. It seems so surreal that this season at camp is coming to a close. But putting an offer down made it a little more concrete! (For those of you who don't know, housing is part of the compensation package to employees of Camp Eagle. So this is our first time doing the "adult thing" and buying a house.) They've accepted our offer, and now we're just working out the details.

Throughout this whole process of looking for a new home, the Lord has unveiled my values, my American ideas and beliefs, and challenged me as to whether or not I am living Biblically or American-Christian-y. For example: it's a generally understood principle (in America) that as you progress in age, job status, marital status, etc, your house reflects your personal/financial growth. ie: the more kids and money you have, the bigger your house should be. Your possessions also reflect your upward mobility - exchange the college futon for a sectional leather sofa; get rid of the box tv and get a blue ray flat screen.

Of course, I'm not saying that buying bigger/nicer is wrong or sinful; but my attitude of entitlement is. My desire for "MORE" is sinful. My covetous heart that looks at other larger homes, nicer homes - that is sinful. And it's something that I didn't realize I had engrained in my belief system... at least not on this plane.

The last few months of house hunting, the Lord has put this question before me: "Erin, what do you value? And is it what I value?" And so often, it is not. I value square footage and personal space more than I value teaching my son to share and to have others "invade your space". I value living in a classy neighborhood more than I value sharing the gospel with those who may have a lower income (and there! Look at that- to me, "lower income" means... a lot of words that I wish I didn't think, but in the effort of full disclosure, I will admit: "lower income" = trashy, uneducated, welfare.) What a shameful revelation. I look at a person's home, clothing and vocabulary and decide they're not worth the effort to get to know. Oh Father, that you would so change and burden my heart to see my self-righteousness as the great offense! And the beauty that you've given them as an honor for me to know!

I pray that no matter where I live, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord - with our possessions, with our property, with our neighborhood location. I pray that my house will reflect the Lord's values, not my American ones.