8 – The American Dream or Something Else

By PAUL HURKMAN

 

“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

We were living in a 900-square-foot loft with our two kids. We loved quick access to coffee shops, bike lanes, and downtown. But as the kids got bigger, our space got smaller, and we decided to trade our one-room lifestyle for square footage and a yard.

For the next six months, we walked into no fewer than 100 open houses, and looked at more than a thousand homes online. As we looked, we found an expensive home with a view of the lake that dropped into our price range and we were ecstatic. This was the right house, in the right neighborhood, so we put in an offer, but because it was a short-sale we had to wait.

Several months after we put in the offer my wife and I were feeling less confident in our decision, so we decided to look at a few more homes. Two days later, we walked into a foreclosed home, in a significantly less-sought-after neighborhood. Something felt right about this home, so we put in another offer.

Within a week we received 2 calls less than an hour apart, accepting our offers on each home. How do you decide between the perfect home, and what feels like being led in a new direction? We prayed about the decision and my wife said, “this feels like an opportunity to follow the ‘American Dream’ or ‘something else’.” One home was everything we wanted – right home, right price, right neighborhood. The other home was in a more complicated neighborhood, low ratings on the schools, high percentage of renters, and graffiti on many alley garages.

We looked at each other and decided we wanted to choose something else. And we have never regretted that decision. We love our home, our diverse neighborhood, our kids’ school, our lower house payment and our new church around the block. We see His Kingdom more clearly than ever through our neighborhood, and through our choice to be present in this beautiful mess.

It doesn’t always make sense to others that we love where we live, but we know this place is part of God’s plan for our family. Proverbs 3:5-6 encourages us to “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

We are not meant to mindlessly follow the path of others, especially the general population. The issue is not big house or small house, own or rent. The issue is how we approach our personal calling to follow Christ with our whole life. We have a responsibility and an opportunity to approach decisions – big and small, with an open heart and mind to what is taught in God’s Word, as well as the Spirit’s leading, and the wisdom of those closest to us. We are invited to live a life that is different and open to radical forks in the road, that will take us on a more adventurous pursuit of finding and reflecting His Kingdom. We are called to something else.

 

TALK ABOUT IT

What do you feel that God is calling you to do as a couple in this season of your lives?

How do you encourage each other to spend time in the Word and prayer? How do you create space for input and wisdom from people you trust?

In what way do you want your life and marriage to be “different”?

 

 

Paul and his wife, Candace, work with Venture, an organization committed to using its ‘greatest energy on the world’s greatest needs’. They live in Minneapolis with their 4 kids.