We are still living without septic and without power service. Thank you, Jesus! This has been a wonderful experience for us.
What is amazing is that at one extreme, there are people who look at us as if we are fools and ask, “Why would you ever choose to live like that? ” And at the other extreme, there are people that stand here looking at where we are and say, “Man, you are living the dream. I’d love to one day have something like this!”
Yes, these are both actual statements made by people around us about the exact same situation. Two quite different perspectives.
Yes, this life has surrounded us with friends in all kinds of different lifestyles and circumstances – but this is not about our circumstances, because in this life there will always be some that will have more than us and some that will have less. In this life, there will always be those that understand us and those who do not. In this life, there will always be those who encourage us and those who will seek to tear us down.
All of this has and is bringing our family closer together than we’ve been in the past. And it is bringing us closer to a life where we pray for and try to help both of these groups of people in our daily lives.
There are many people who have a lot of things, but have little compassion and love and generosity towards those in need. We hope that we might share love and that they might be humbled when their visibility into our decisions about living this way by choice highlight so many that lI’ve in more challenging situations not by their own choice.
There are many who have a lot of compassion and mercy and generosity towards others that have very little themselves to show for it. We hope that we might share work and meals and help with their needs as we can or connect them with those who have the resources to help fill their needs.
With all of this being said, today I am praying that Duke Power provide us with the power that we have been going without. The Lord has continued to provide for us and we’ve found ways to make this work. But the generator that we’ve been running on non-stop for weeks now is not meant for this type of constant service. And the money spent on enough gas and propane daily to keep it running has been a wonderful testimony to our trusting in the Lord to provide and His being faithful and true to meet our needs.
But I know and trust that it is time for us to bring quiet again to these rolling hills instead of the roar of this generator that has been our announcement to our new neighbors that we now live here. We are ready to be a blessing and not a nuisance to our neighbors, we are ready for this process of building to begin, we are ready. And we know the Lord’s answerve is “Yes”. And we have been satisfied that the Lord’s answer had been “but not yet” up to this point. And we are confident that His timing is best.
I’m just telling you, friends, that I am praying for God to move in a mighty way and make it clear to us today His purpose and will for this land in serving His Kingdom. No matter the answer or direction, Lord, no matter our understanding, Lord, set our feet form upon your path, and make it a clear and evident testimony today, that as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
James 4:1-3 NLT
Harold J. Ballinger 