What I Value

I was walking home from dropping my kids off at school this morning, looking around at the houses in my neighborhood, seeing an older couple get in their car and I thought, "will I still own this house when I retire?" Others are my street have lived here for 20 years, many nearly 40 years. Yet, I know that the "norm" is to keep buying better and bigger houses as one can afford to do so.

I started thinking about my dream house and where I live definitely doesn't measure up, but I'm happy here, at least in this "season" of life... so close to the kids' school and shopping and all that stuff. Will I remain here? I think I could. In some ways, I really want to.

My thoughts turned to what I value and what I'm willing to spend money on, so I pose this question to you this morning: If you could, and I don't mean through winning the lottery and having tons of extra cash, but if you steadily put money away and invested it and realized that you now have enough to purchase a bigger, nicer home, would you do it?

I don't think there's a wrong answer here, but for me, I started thinking of all the other "stuff" I could do with money, especially knowing there are other things I value, like vacation and friends and all that. Not even to mention volunteering and supporting organizations, ministries and mission.

I haven't yet learned the art of contentment yet. I hope I do, and I hope that my values and priorities will fall in the proper place, whatever that means. Please know, I'm not saying its wrong to buy a bigger, better house, I just am thinking that if I equate that with happiness and the "then I'll entertain/have people over/be in community" then I need to start re-evaluating the things I hold dear and start releasing my grasp on them.