Buzz Lightyear shops for a house

With the lessons of Buzz Lightyear impressed on my heart, we continued the house search through the weekend.  Our house-related core values were, for the sake of our family and God’s kingdom:

• Near the church (Jeff loves to ride his bike whenever he can and we love being available for people and near the core-community of WCC)
• Property (More and more we found ourselves craving country, space, some room to breathe and run and let the kids dig in the dirt and make a big mess without the Homeowner’s Association putting a notice on our door)
• Special space for guests (We love having guests, and wanted a place they could come, stay, and not feel like they were intruding or displacing us. A real treat would be somewhat private/special quarters in case someone needed to live with us for an extended time.)
• Big open living area for family get togethers, holidays, ministry meetings, showers, gatherings, etc.

Our first find: A rental house (pictured above) that is, shall we say, lacking aesthetic appeal (some might employ the word ugly), but only 1 mile from the church, on a beautiful 2.5 acre farm property, with a separate in-law quarters downstairs for guests, and a big open living room area. It would require the kids to share a room, and of course there was that whole thing about it being, by some standards, ugly, but it was affordable rent and met all of our core values.

I admit, I struggled with the idea of renting. After owning our own homes for eightyears, we were going back into renting again? Isn’t it so much wiser to buy?

Then we found: A foreclosure house going up for auction.  We could likely get it for more than $200,000 below the tax-assessed value. GREAT deal!  And, it was 4,600 s.f.!  Can you imagine? I can’t even fathom a house that big!  What a deal!  It was also near the church, didn’t have land but it was on a nice wooded lot, and didn’t have separate quarters for guests but with a house that big you could have a whole army stay with you! It was almost 3 times as big as the rental house AND we could own it. Yes, our monthly payment would be way higher than the rent would be … but we’d be getting so much more and we’d own it! Such a good deal!

I lie in bed Friday night and can’t sleep.  Houses and numbers and scenarios spin in my mind. My own logic is clear: Go for the deal. Pay the higher price and OWN the great big house — way better deal than renting!

Heidi begins to fuss, cries, asks for water. I roll out of bed and get her sippy cup. As I climb back into bed I bump into Buzz, on the floor, and kick a button with my foot:

“I’m a space ranger!” He announces into the darkness.

Oh yes: Buzz.

Buzz’s questions come back to mind:

What did you ask for?

A house with acreage, near the church, with a special space for guests and a big living room for hospitality. 

Which choice costs less?

Renting, by far.

Which will be the simplest to take care of, giving you freedom to live simply and frugally?

The rental house.

The answer opposes my flesh. I want to own. I’ve disdained the rent-fire all my days. But I learned my sacred mundane lesson from Buzz and Craigslist and the still small voice and I know nothing’s stupider than ignoring that voice.

Jeff and I talk. He asks me to fill out the rental application. I follow my man’s lead.

Then I crunch numbers for hours. I research my brains out because that’s how I’m wired, and to my surprise I realize that by renting we can actually save up more towards owning than we would by buying now. And we have more freedom to be generous.

Maybe when the space ranger gig is up Buzz could get a job as a financial planner?

Just kidding. Friends, I don’t know the future. And our primary objective in this life is not to get ahead financially. We may rent for 2 months or twenty years … I don’t know. But I do know that our gracious God has once again done exactly what He’s promised to do:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5

Even through the most sacred mundane places, even through the mouth of Buzz Lightyear. {We move 10/7 & 10/8 — want to help? 🙂 Thanks, as always, for reading.}