Don't Make A Living, Make A Life!

So a few years ago our Pastor preached a sermon about living in freedom and living "un-caged".  It was a great sermon, he had this amazing hand out with all these sayings.  I'll list them below:
Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.
Set God size goals.
Pursue God ordained passions.
Don't let fear dictate your decisions.
Don't take the easy way out.
Don't maintain the status quo.
Stop pointing out problems: become part of the solution.
Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.
Expand your horizons.
Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can.
Live today like it is the first day and the last day of your life.
Burn sinful bridges.
Challenge all assumptions.
Blaze new trails.
Quit playing defense.
Quit making excuses.
Don't stop making mistakes.
Don't try to be who you are not.
Don't make a living, make a life.
Don't let what is wrong with you keep you from worshipping what is right with God.

I know that was a little lengthy, but tell me those aren't GREAT!  I hope my children read this for years to come and reflect on these points.  One of those points really stuck with me this morning as I was cleaning up my room and making my bed.  DON'T MAKE A LIVING, MAKE A LIFE!  I'm pretty sure it was God's way of getting me focused on what's important....and here's where the story begins.  So yesterday I picked Spencer up from his friend's house.  It is a beautiful house!  Fabulous floors, beautiful kitchen, blue pool, gorgeous pavers and all perfectly decorated for the season.  I have to admit that I felt a little jealous.  I'm not typically a jealous person, I mean I'm sure we all want what we don't have, but I'm not "overly" jealous.  As I drove Spencer home, I was feeling very insecure.  I felt sad that we couldn't provide that beautiful home for him and the other kids.  Now don't get me wrong, we live in a nice 4 bedroom house with tile floors and a remodeled kitchen, 2 blocks from the ocean. Which brings me back to always wanting what you don't have.  As I drove home I questioned the decisions that Mike and I have made...did we spend too much on this or that?  Should we have invested differently for the kids?  When I got home I pulled into our driveway (we no longer have a garage, we have an Ella, haha!)  I noticed that on my front porch alone was an ATV, 2 bikes, 2 scooters, 2 skateboards, a chair, a pair of roller blades and several pieces of baseball equipment.  So I started to feel even worse about the condition I keep our house in since this other woman's house was SPOTLESS!  As I walked through our front door there on the ground were shoes....lots and lots of shoes.  Everyone kicks their shoes off at the front door.  As I walked through the house stepping on nerf darts and Barbie clothes and kicking bouncy balls I felt even worse.  Now don't get me wrong, our house is in no way dirty at all, just lived in.  So I picked up some toys, made dinner, and went on with our nightly routine.  All the while thinking about Spencer's friends perfect house and perfect life.  So fast forward to this morning when all is quiet in our house and I actually have time to think.  As I'm cleaning up my room and making my bed I notice the water color picture of a house that is taped to my bedroom wall in place of "real" artwork.  Next to it are 2 picture of Smitty and Scott from Disney's Imagination Movers which Blake has colored and tacked to our wall.  As I made my bed I picked up a sippy cup and stinky baby and put them in their places.  Then I moved on the rest of our room and noticed the white board Blake had drug in to practice his cursive writing on, he's so proud!  Ella's "Wanda the Washing Machine" book which I set my coffee on this morning is laid on my desk instead of neatly tucked away in a bookshelf.  Seeing all this was almost like God speaking to me and saying "Courtney, don't wish for things that others have.  Don't make a living, make a life".  I started thinking about this other woman's house and how there was no sign that children even lived in her house.  Her carpet was perfectly white.  I look at my carpet and there are stains from where Ella has spilled something because we were tickling her, or where Blake accidentally drew on the carpet or the table because he was coloring us a picture.  I have a different outlook this morning because of all this.  I don't need pavers and a state of the art kitchen to make me happy.  I need a husband that provides, I need children who love me more than Africa, and more than anything...I need a God who quietly reminds me that I don't need to make a living, I need to make a life!