“This Is All I Need…”
A donor invited me to visit with him to discuss his estate, so we set up a time to meet at his farm.
I drove up to the nice two-story home and knocked on the door. A lady answered, and when I asked for the donor, she said he lived next door – in a trailer.
A dilapidated trailer house, to be more specific. The screen in the door was torn out so his dogs could run in and out. “Simple” hardly describes the interior.
In the course of my visit, the donor told me the two-story farmhouse was occupied by his hired man and his family.
Why does the donor live in the trailer?
He explained, “This is all I need.”
A man of considerable wealth, living simply so he can give.
Quite a lesson.
Bruce L. Blumer of the Dakotas United Methodist Foundation shared this story, and a friend of mine, Steve Regner, Director for Media Advancement for Life 97.9 and Faith 1200 KFNW, was kind to share it with me, and I am passing it along to you.
This story has significance for me today for two reasons! First, it’s a vivid, inspiring, real life example of a person choosing to live simply in order to give generously. Second, this afternoon is the inspection on the townhouse my wife and I are purchasing having sold our home this Spring. We pray all goes well between now and our closing date of August 12.
We are not saying everyone needs to sell their house and downsize. We, along with “the donor” in this story, have taken steps to answer the question: “How much do we need?” so as to position ourselves to live, give, serve, and love generously because someday we will have to give an account for our stewardship. To that end, that is, to prepare to give an account for your stewardship, we urge everyone to go and do likewise!