Whose house is this anyway?

OK folks, there are obviously some things that you need to know and haven’t been told yet. I constantly hear people stating things which are provably incorrect, but which they whole heartedly believe, to the point of dismissing evidence to the contrary.

You have been born into an old house, in which you will live for all of your life, initially sharing it with your parents, then later occupying it alone, later still you add your own family.

The house has been your families home for generations, and over the years your ancestors have carried out some repairs and added bits. Some changes have been beneficial and well done, others have been botched up jobs.

The house is slowly deteriorating and finally has reached the point where if something drastic is not carried out, it will in the not too distant future, fall into terminal disrepair. In short it suffers from all forms of attack, dry rot, wet rot and termite infestation. The structure is becoming unsafe and will not improve.

In fact the house has required total renovation for some time, but your family have always considered the inconvenience and cost involved in carrying out these essential works, and ignored the decision.

You are again faced with the decision.

Do I carry out a complete renovation, and suffer the cost and inconvenience, or do I just repair what I can easily manage, and hope the problem outlasts me, to become my descendants.

Unfortunately human nature normally dictates that we take the easy route, through fear and ignorance. We have all heard stories wherein other families called in the builders and they created havoc, surely it’s better to leave the situation alone?

We all know of friends who called in the specialists, who certainly carried out a good job, but those friends are still smarting from the cost of the renovation, and will be paying for it for years, if not generations.

Better to let sleeping dogs lie, these expensive jobs are not for the likes of you, who have more sense and less money.

The world is full of people who expect, and therefore receive, second rate service for the highest possible price. People who, the world ensures, are not disappointed.

The way of the world is to keep the supply of income flowing by doing the minimum required to collect remuneration, now, whilst leaving sufficient faults that ensure a continuing problem, thereby guaranteeing a continued dependency.

In the same road as your house stands, is another house of the same age.

But this house is in good repair, and although there are some minor problems which are inflicted by the ravages of weather and usage, in general the occupants never suffer like you do.

When you ask neighbours, how these folk manage to maintain their house, you are told variously that; they had rich relations, they won the lottery, they never do anything except work to keep their house, they are boring do-gooders who love D.l.Y.

The list of reasons are endless; but nobody you speak to actually knows ‘them’, they all avoid contact, because, well nobody really knows why, they just feel that these people are strange, a bit odd, not our type.

One day, after you have fallen through the floorboards and damaged the ceiling below, as well as your foot, you decide to ask them how they manage to keep their house in order, before yours falls down around you.

You knock on their door, they immediately invite you in, you feel odd. I mean these folk are friendly, but you feel awkward inside, after all, everyone says they are strange and now you understand why, they just sort of ARE strange, but never the less, you ask your question;

‘How do you keep your house in order’.

They sit you down, offer you tea, (which you refuse, not wishing to stay a moment longer than you need to) and then they tell you how they do it.

“We don’t own the house.”

• Were you born owning anything excepting your body?

• Who owns the ground you stand on?

• Who gave it to them originally?

• Will you leave this existence with any possessions?

• Who is your landlord?

Actually God is our landlord, whether we accept it or not.

Consider this, who actually gave anyone the right to occupy or claim anything as their own possession?

We patently cannot take anything physical with us when we leave this existence, so therefore whatever we claim as ours during our lifetime is factually only ‘ours’ for a limited time, when we leave life, our ‘ownership’ passes to someone else.

Whether you accept God as there owner or not cannot change this fact, even the most ardent atheist or agnostic must agree.

God gave us free will, to choose for ourselves whether we accept His control or wish to believe we have ‘self control’. It is irrelevant how rich or powerful you may become or are, you may ostensibly exercise total control over your own, and maybe thousands of other lives.

You will still leave this existence without any possessions.

That’s when you will meet your landlord.

As landlords go, God is the best.

If you want to continue thinking you are in control, He will let you, He will even give you occasional free assistance, which you don’t deserve and costs you nothing.

You call it luck, we call it a blessing…

He calls it Grace.

When you find the upkeep of your ‘house’ too much, when you forget for a moment or two that you ‘own’ it, and say to Him “I can’t cope, God help me~ or something similar slips from your mouth, or even simply enters your thoughts, in your despair, He will always step in and help, until you withdraw your permission, by assuming control again.

He always keeps His word, when He makes a promise, it will always be carried out. Best of all, when you accept that God is in control, He guarantees you total security of tenure for eternity, and gives you possession of His assets for all time.

Because He loves you so much, He gives you all this without any charge.

If this is all a surprise to you, perhaps you should read the tenancy agreement?