On HGTV and Giving

A challenging passage in the book of Haggai 1:4-8 comes to mind as I enjoy a pleasure only available to me while on vacation. It reads, "Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the LORD Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you! You have planted much but harvested little. You have food to eat, but not enough to fill you up. You have wine to drink, but not enough to satisfy your thirst. You have clothing to wear, but not enough to keep you warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you! Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored', says the LORD."

We have basic cable at our house so I do not normally see HGTV. While on vacation I binged. Along with lots of new ideas and vision for my own house, I need all the inspiration I can get from outside sources. When I was given an aptitude test before entering Penn State in 1969 I scored the lowest (a minus 13) on "interior decorator." That, combined with raising five children on a modest income, has enabled me to learn contentment in living with 30+ year old carpet, 80 year old windows, and deferring my desires to change my environment.

Along with the inspirational aspects (e.g. learning how to do some tasks and visualizing some things to help my dining room update in progress), during this HGTV binge I have also observed obscene material focus combined with very shallow values--people desperate to get larger, newer everything with so little apparent true need. I hope I have filtered that influence from my thinking. Our family of 7 managed successfully with one primary bathroom, even on Sunday mornings, even getting to church on time. That bathroom even only has one sink! Dean and I have been content to share a 12x 12 bedroom with one 6' wide closet (though we have spilled out of it as boys have moved out). Our present house is large (6 bedrooms) but we were just as happy when we had a 2 bedroom, 12' wide condo with 4 of our five boys in the early '80s. Still, contentment doesn't just come from stoically settling for what we have because we are just as subject to discontentment as anyone else. Contentment comes from being thankful for the Lord's provision, whatever it is.

We made the decision long ago that a minimum of 10% of our income would go to our local church, not because we believe the New Testament requires a tithe, but because we believe that level is the base from which we should gauge our giving. The standard in the NT is even higher than that of the Old -- freewill giving based on His owning all we have. Dean has written a "Primer on Giving" that details biblical teaching for believers today and it is available should anyone desire it. Giving to our church is giving to the Lord, expressing trust in Him to meet our other needs, and providing for the spiritual environment our children and fellow believers benefit from. Suffice it to say our priority commitment to our church has limited the leftover available income for our environment after meeting needs for the family. I am grateful I have been content with what we have had for so many years. I pray that as I apply my latest HGTV ideas using my budget that I will also grow in using my house for its true purpose...a place to minister the love of Christ to family, friends, and neighbors.