A TALE OF TWO HOUSES

Gracious Victorian or hand-crafted barn? My heart was divided. We lived a decade in the parsonage, three floors, five bedrooms.

We bought a forlorn foreclosure, built as a barn in the 1800’s and transformed into a home in the 1970s.

The attic hinted at hand-hewn beams, but downstairs all was covered with drywall.

Ugly, pitted and graffiti-covered drywall.

We started renovation with a crowbar. For six months, every spare hour was devoted to destruction, planning, construction, cleaning and painting.

I was living in one house, renovating another. As I put more energy and time into the new house, I found myself liking the old house less and less. Annoying things about the old house loomed large: the uneven floors, noise and dirt from the highway, the musty cellar and rattling windows. My thoughts focused on the charm of the new house: hand-hewn beams, wide window sills, the starry night sky and woodland views. I could barely motivate myself to do even the most basic cleaning in the old house.

Truth be told, there is much I miss about our old house–the spacious entry, the shaded backyard, the spindles on the stairway where we hung our Christmas stockings. Yes, I even miss the busy intersection that is first plowed in a snowstorm. But as I became more devoted to the new house, my commitment to the old one diminished.

Finally! We moved everything out of the old house. We dwell 100% in our new home.

As my soul becomes more devoted to Christ, my commitment to worldly things diminishes.

No one can serve two masters; for either she will hate the one and love the other, or she will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in). Matthew 6:24 (AMP – with my own gender change)

I want to dwell 100% in Christ.

Shirlee Abbott bio

Shirlee and her husband Wade live in the northwest corner of New Jersey, just a few miles off the Appalachian Trail. For their 39th anniversary, they gave each other a rescue dog, Benny (named in honor of the forever-39 Jack Benny). Wade pastors a local Baptist church.

Shirlee’s day job is in hospital quality and safety. Her ministry revolves around prayer, teaching and writing. You can find more renovation stories on Shirlee’s website, http://soulsunderconstruction.com/, along with studies she writes for the women’s group at their church. The main feature is a short blog post, Monday-Friday, usually 100 words or less.

“The bigger the thought and the fewer the words, the happier I am,” says Shirlee. “One of our sons finds reading a challenge. I hope to connect with those who, like him, don’t read for fun.
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Note from Norma: Not long after I became a frequent reader of the writers’ blog at Books & Such Literary Management, I noticed Shirlee Abbott because of her comments. She would say a lot in a few short sentences. Her words were wise and helpful, plus many of her comments had a spiritual thought as well. It wasn’t long before I visited her blog, then subscribed to it, and now receive an email almost daily from her. Each one has one thought worth contemplating. I appreciate her wisdom and insight. “Thank you, Shirlee, for being a guest on my blog.”

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