Standard of Living

An Old Barn on the property at Mrs. White's Vermont Estate

In a 1970's sermon by Billy Graham, he talked about the way he lived as a child.  His family lived on a large farm in the country.  There was no running water.  There was no electricity.  They had no radio or television.  I believe he said they did not even have a car.  But they had food and warmth and were loved at home.  He talked about how nearly every family lived the same way.  He mentioned that our current standard of living was getting much higher.

My own father lived on a farm. His family were sharecroppers in the rural south.  They had a simple home that his mother took care of.  Each day, she would pray with her husband and help him get up, early each morning, so he could go to work. He held down a regular job, helped the family with the farming, and was a revival preacher.  His time was focused on eternal matters, practical survival, and the love and care of his family.  They did family altar each evening before bed.  They went to church every single time the doors were open.  It was a traditional old- time family life, much like the home where Billy Graham grew up in.  This was a common type of life, at one point, in our nation's history.

In the Massachusetts neighborhood where I grew up, we had cozy homes in our suburban town.  Many of them were cottages that were built by our grandfathers.  We lived old time, traditional lives.  We were thrifty, careful in our saving and spending, and did not require much.  Now, all these years later, the wealthy crowd has come in and is buying up all the old cottages. These are mainly two-income couples with careers in the city of Boston. They want to commute out to the beautiful suburban town.  They are tearing down our grandfather's cottages and building (literally) million dollar houses in their place.  It raises the standard of living, the property taxes for all, and makes it impossible for common families to afford to purchase a home.  I am grateful we moved, some years ago, out in the country of Vermont where it is more affordable.

I often cringe when I hear someone has bought an old house and is remodeling.  I understand that homes need paint and repairs. I realize they need modern appliances and new windows and doors. But why add all the upgrades, such as marble and granite, raising the standard of living to levels that are out of reach for regular families?

There are other ways we can spend far more than we should.  At certain holidays like Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, flowers are given to the sweet lady of the house.  The stores carry roses for as much as $60 or more.  Our local floral department also carries lovely bouquets of carnations for less than $5.  I have to ask. . . which flowers would you want?  I made a mistake one year.  I was offered any flowers I wanted.  I could not help craving the large $50 display of pink roses.  They were beyond my means and something I have never been able to have.  There were many alternatives, which were just as lovely - including $5 or $10 options.  But I kept looking at the pink roses. Just once, I thought, I would love to have the rich ones.  They were happily purchased for me and I took them home.  I loved them, but I would have been happier with the less expensive ones.  After the initial shock of having them on the parlour table, I started to dislike them.  What an extravagance!  The waste of money (that we could not afford to spend) is what bothered me more than anything else.  I would be just as happy with pretty daisies, lilacs from the garden, or simple carnations.  I learned my lesson.   

I know of a family, with a modest income.  They recently spent hundreds of dollars in birthday gifts for the wife.  Not long after that, they struggled financially.  They did not expect car repair bills or an extra high heating bill.  They got into trouble because they lived above their standard of living.  I suggested they set a yearly limit on gifts, to perhaps $20 to $50 for each person as a maximum.  Those gifts, carefully selected, will bring just as much happiness, while keeping funds available, at a steady pace, for the common needs that come up in life. When we figure out our means on a yearly basis, we can set our personal standards and stick with them.

In the old days, of the 1800's and early 1900's, they would define "extravagances" as trying to live in society. It was attempting to live outside of your financial means - to be something you were not.  The very wealthy were said to be the most important people. To live among them, to be invited to their social events, meant that you were moving up in life.  You had to have money to dress a certain way, to live in a fashionable house, and to eat dainty and abundantly rich food.  This cost a great deal of money.  Yet, even then, there were happy families who lived quiet lives in common villages. They did not have social ambitions. They were happiest in their humble homes and with a dedication to character, virtue, family, and a life dedicated to trust and faith in the Lord.

Our standard of living dictates what we are comfortable with in life.  For the very wealthy, who know no other way, it can be living the high life, or one of charitable service.  For the middle and lower financial classes, we live more simply.  We would not dream of spending over our means. This only brings debt, trouble, and unhappiness.  There are so many choices in our way of life, in the homes we choose, the food we buy, and the presents we give, that we can choose a simple standard of living that brings just as much happiness as those living in riches.  I will venture to say, that many who have a simple standard of living are more content in life. They are less spoiled, less selfish. 

A simple life can be such a beautiful thing.  There is a quiet grace and gentleness to a basic standard of living. There is no want. There is little need.  It is contentment beyond measure.  We have to remember that this world is not our home.  There are mansions waiting in Heaven.  We are pilgrims passing through this way, but once. Living with eternity in mind will bring the greatest happiness of all.


"Our fair morning is at hand;
the day star is near the rising,
and we are not many miles from home.

What matter, then, of ill-entertainment
 in the smoky inns of this worthless world?

We are not to stay here,
 and we shall be dearly welcome
 to Him to whom we are going."

- Samuel Rutherford, 1600's -


Blessings
Mrs. White


From the Archives -

Mother's Life Dedicated to God - The Mission House.

Are You a Member? - Mother's Benevolent Society.

You Can Do It! - Housekeeping with a Will. 

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