Life for me these days seems to be partly defined by having less and enjoying it more. When we left the Northwest we intentionally moved down in size and possessions. We gave away much of what we had accumulated over the past forty years of marriage, and moved to the south, a new part of the world for us. We arrived with almost nothing but books and files and memorabilia, and most of the few furnishings we did bring quickly moved into our daughter and her husband’s house. Looking around our new house I can recognize one hutch, one chair, one rug, two lamps, two bunching tables and two small cabinets from our Northwest living—the rest has slowly come from shops nearby. And there is not a lot of the rest, because our house itself is less than half the size of our Shoreline house. It is small enough for me to plug the vacuum cleaner into one plug in the hallway and reach every corner of the house. We do not need an intercom because a word spoken in any recess of the home is pretty audible throughout.

We made this housing life choice partly because doing various ministries away from home for months on end we wanted a home that was easy to lock and leave. Part of the choice also came because our children have grown and gone, and also hosting students and internationals, which had been a big part of our life, would not make sense with us gone so much of the time.

But having lived with the new for a while now, besides the obvious economic benefits of smaller and less, I have found other wonderful benefits. One is that with fewer walls and floors and bathrooms and a smaller roof there is much less home-work that needs to be done. The list of to do’s is much shorter, which means the things that there are to do can be done at a more leisurely pace and with greater attention to detail. It also means that there is much more time to do other things—things that in the long run probably mean a lot more than many of the home projects of the past.


Another benefit is community. The part of our neighborhood we live in is pleasant and well maintained, but just around the corner there has been a McMansion building spree going on. The new homes have dramatic entryways, bonus rooms, a theater room, sprawling kitchens and at least one bedroom with walk-in closet and bath for each family member. As Nancy and I wander through some of the open houses for these homes we wonder how members of the families that live in them ever communicate with each other. The norm of these homes seems to be isolation and self-sufficiency, whereas the size of our home demands interaction and communication. Our younger daughter JJ is living with us for a while, and we are always interacting because there is no place to hide.

For years I have wondered about the housing choices that many make in various stages of life. Particularly I have wondered about choices that are bigger and bigger with more and more. I believe that the home is one of God’s gifts to us, and one of his larger gifts, and as such it is something which we are responsible to use for the building of his kingdom. The home, in other words, is something which we steward for God, and the measure of that stewardship is its use for him. And I wonder how that is lived out in too many circumstances where size seems to outdistance both need and ministry.

What Nancy and I have chosen we feel very good about, we find it freeing and satisfying. It is less than before, but far from being a sacrifice or a loss, we marvel regularly about the blessing and beauty we have in it! Our choice is right for us, but it is not to say that there is always inherent virtue in small nor lack of virtue in large. I know that every person and every family has its own set of issues, needs and opportunities. But I do commend stewardship of the home, the largest investment most of us have, to all, and do know that every one of us is and will be accountable for that stewardship. The economic realities of our time have put severe strains on some because of their housing decisions. It is my prayer that believers will recognize the spiritual realities of their housing decisions, and make choices which are both personally freeing and reflective of the challenge to all, which is to seek first the kingdom of God.