A Slow Build
I recently watched a guy who is a neighbor to my parents, build his house by himself. I recall seeing him have help when he was framing the roof. This guy worked a full-time job and built this house over a period of about 10 months. It is not a small house either. It looks to be about 1800 SF on a basement. He knows his house because he built it. When my wife and I were building our house 23 years ago, our contractor was a friend. It made our heads spin at how quickly things could happen when the whole crew showed up and worked. It was still a very steady build. There are other contractors who are building “cookie cutter” houses and speed seems to be the driving force. That is how is mistakes are made and long-term issues move into those houses. When showing a home, I can tell a lot about the quality of the build be looking at “the bones” of the house. I can spot a custom home very quickly, because it always features some things that were done, that never really show up in the “every-day areas”. I was always taught as a kid to do things right the first time and you shouldn’t have to “do them again”.
Solomon gives such wisdom in Proverbs. Something in the passage below reminded me that something worth building is also worth planning. I am still building my life even in my “late 50’s”. I hope that I’m still building my life if I make into my 80’s! Check this out….
7 Some who are poor pretend to be rich;
others who are rich pretend to be poor.
8 The rich can pay a ransom for their lives,
but the poor won’t even get threatened.
9 The life of the godly is full of light and joy,
but the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
10 Pride leads to conflict;
those who take advice are wise.
11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears;
wealth from hard work grows over time.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.
20 Walk with the wise and become wise;
associate with fools and get in trouble. (Proverbs 13:7-12, 20 NLT)
I am working diligently to build wisdom and wealth. I keep seeking counsel to grow my soul to become the best that I can become. I learned from Dave Ramsey that I can’t out earn my stupidity. I must have a disciplined plan when dealing with money. I also learned a new plan recently that is called the “70-10-10-10 rule”. The rule is to live to give 10%; save 10% invest 10% and live off of 70% of my income. In the past, I was living beyond 100% of what I made, and my ship was sinking quickly. After hearing some wise people speak to money management, I have changed things around.
I want to keep walking with the wise and listening to them to become wiser. I want my life to continue on this slow build toward a life of wisdom and wealth. I want to hear from God’s Word and His Spirit prompting wisdom in my every day, walking around life.
Pressing On!
Dwayne