A Sense of urgency.

Jackie and I had a modest house by American middle class standards, about 1400+ sq. feet. In fact, our community of Cedar Hill has passed a zoning ordinance that now no longer allows houses under 2,000 sq. feet to be built – guess they want to keep the “riff-raff” out!

I t is amazing how much 2 Americans living on a modest budget with modest, sometimes frugal tastes still manage to accumulate in terms of possessions, paper (files, books, etc…), decorative items, even furniture!

I think it is the Lord who is giving me this sense of urgency to clean, toss and get the house ready for…. Something? But I am not sure what. Maybe I just see it as something I can do now. Maybe it’s the possibility of Tim, Gayle and family coming for Christmas. I certainly don’t have any plans to move anytime soon (I don't retire for another 3 ½ years). Perhaps I am pushing on this project because Jackie and I always talked about major cleaning and tossing. Certainly we would do some culling periodically but now I am doing a major overhaul of the house.

Someday, I will be leaving this house for whatever reason. From a practical sense, I don’t want Paulette, since she lives locally, to have to do this. I am not getting any younger so I want to take care of this now while I still have the energy and strength. I do want to be free to be with friends or minister without being encumbered by concern about taking care of the house. And I do think I will be absent on weekends more in the future as I do some in the States traveling to family, etc… Maybe I will be going to heaven shortly (but please note: Though I’ve made my reservation I don’t have any immediate plans).

Maybe this sense of urgency feels so right because it is very Biblical to be unencumbered by the things of this world. Primarily that means sin, which so easily entangles us. But I think it also means not loving the world or the things in this world. It means traveling lightly and being flexible to respond to the leading of the Lord. I have no debts other than a small mortgage but I want my house to be as simple and uncluttered and as well repaired as possible.