r-e-s-p-e-c-t

I don't know that these thoughts will make sense, as I'm worn out from a teething little girl and another girl who just would rather be up than sleep. However, when I have something on my heart, tis best to write it down so it doesn't linger too long on my too-full mind.

I think how people spend their money and utilize the resources God has given them, speaks VOLUMES of their lives. And I have witnessed 2 polar opposites recently. First of all, the good. I completely admired the owner of Jason's previous business. I mean, he's a billionaire, a billionaire. That's a lot of zeros to one's name. But the thing is, that's not what makes him great, at all. He is simply a great guy because of character. For one thing, he is simply a nice guy, not arrogant, not pompous, even though he could be. Jason has told me that when he would have a meeting with him, and they'd go in the conference room, this CEO would INSIST that Jason go first. Secondly, he operates his business very conservatively. Assets far exceed their debt. And because of that, they have succeeded in a down market, while others have failed. In fact, not one layoff. Very cool. At their Christmas party, the company always has tons of door prizes. He and the CFO have given away their personal garage spaces at the office. I mean, like everyone parks in the parking lot and they have actual garages. They give away their spots for not April, not August, but January (in Kansas!) Seriously, I wouldn't do that! And probably the coolest thing is not about him, but his wife. So, the wife of a billionaire...what do you think she'd drive? Maybe a Lexus, an Audi....close, an old Honda Civic Hybrid. Impressive. The scripture, "Your treasure is where your heart is." shows that their treasure is not their money. Just hard work and generosity. RESPECT!

And then on the other end of the spectrum seems to be the previous owners of our house. When we were looking at this house, of course, people knew who were selling this house (it is a small town after all!) We were told they were wealthy and had built a HUGE house in a new subdivision. The more we live here and discover another area of this house that has been neglected, I'm painfully aware of how little respect they had for this house. The care they did not give this house is probably what allowed us to get this house. I have a passion for houses and house design. Houses have stories to tell, and this may sound weird, but whenever I see an abandoned house, I always feel like I'm looking at house "corpse" (a previous body (house) without its soul (house-dwellers)), and it makes my heart a little sad. They were blessed with this beautiful home, but they did not give it the care it deserved. And I fear they're doing the exact same thing to the million dollar home they're residing in now. It breaks my heart.

Of course, this concept can be applied in SO many different areas. To our time, to our bodies, to our money, to our families.... May we just give honor to what we've been given, all along acknowledging it is not ours, but the Lord's.