My dwellings may be humble by American standards, but I have way more than I need right now and I am happy. Paradoxically, there was a time in my life when I lived in a 'mansion' and enjoyed all the 'modern conveniences', and I was consistently unhappy because I expected more. I expected the temperature in my house to be just right and let myself get annoyed if I had to put on a sweater. I expected there to always be enough hot water and let it ruin my morning if I ran out during a shower. I expected this, I expected that... I was materialistic. I did not like who I had become.
Often when you want to improve something, you have to straight up go and do the very thing you are weak at. If your muscles are weak, you lift weights; if you are scared of heights, you take up climbing; ...if your character is lacking, you do hard things. I was materially-minded, so I decided to go without. This was when I was much younger, and I have come a long ways since then, but still thought this would be an invaluable benefit of living in a shed for awhile. (More on that later.)
But even more than all these seemingly noble reasons for doing this thing that 90% of my friends said was insane, I wanted to. I felt like I was stuck in a rut. Life was 'easy'... I longed for a real (and beneficial) challenge! I reckon only those who share such an adventurous spirit will understand this.
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Jeremy, these are great questions, some that we as a family have been asking ourselves for a while now. I am encouraged that you are seeking hard things for Christ. May God bless your journey with an indelible impact on the world! The interesting thing about the running water and the electricity...As you said, you are quite well-off! Thanks for getting me thinking again!
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