The Itch To Move & An Analysis On Wealth

The itch is here. We knew it was coming, but I think both of us were hoping that by paying off the house last year we might delay the itch. The desire to move is directly related to the cleanliness of the house. When everything is put in its place, and gleaming like a show home, we love the place and could think of living no where else. But on normal days, when we live in our six year old house like normal people, lately the urge to flee from the random toy and junk drops around the house has been great. Moving won't take care of the day to day messiness that a family home incurs, but there is that false sense that going somewhere shiny and new will give us a clean slate.

We are truthfully outgrowing our house, but it is nothing probably some greater organizational skills and bunkbeds can't fix. Visiting new construction homes is an instant realization that we could have so much more space and glitz, but then we come home from the trip and feel "too lazy to move". And then we wrestle with the issue of how much house is too much...is immodest...or reflects poorly on our Christian values?

Ken and I have been round and round on a discussion that touches this issue. We have been blessed with abundance in our lives. However, the Bible is very clear and very stern about the pitfalls that accompany wealth. The definition of wealth is so hard to nail down. What IS abundance? It is such a matter of perspective. To the man living on a street corner, I am sure that his idea of wealth would be starkly different from the man living in a 5 bedroom home on a 1/2 acre lot. And why is it that a million dollar home seems so ostentatious while a $200,000 home sitting on a $800,000 plot of land seems less?

The perception of wealth is also an obstacle. When people know what other people earn, it can be very damaging to relationships or be a major influence on first impressions. A man with a modest income and multiple problems might feel like a man making five times his salary should have no problems to complain over at all. Leaving the man with the larger salary, feeling like he has very few individuals to talk to on personal matters.

My husband was speaking with a very wise mentor on the topic of how much house and property is too much, and his mentor made such an excellent point. He said always to keep in mind that what you are living in when your children leave the house will be the benchmark for their idea of achieving success. Especially for the boys in the family. This is so true!! So as an extreme example, if 15 years from now we happen to live in a gated community with a million dollar home, a membership to the country club, and vacation home on the lake, our son(s) may never feel that he's "arrived" until, no unless, he is living similarly. While that style of living may or may not be wrong, is it wise for the future of our family?

It is natural to want to improve in life, and this includes your living quarters, quality of living, and following through on some long held dreams for the future. But where does society draw the line? And for the part of me that could care less about what society thinks, the more important question arises: Where does God draw the line?