Fixer Upper 6 – The Final Reveal
On all the remodeling television shows they always end the show with the big reveal. How the house was transformed in a few short weeks. It is the exciting part of the whole process. If there was not a hope in something amazing at the end then the work would have never started at all. When you see the couples on the show many times they cry, jump up and down and then walk through the house amazed at what has been created. On Fixer Upper they always have a meeting at the end and discuss two things:
1. Your budget was…
2. Your total equity is…
So, this whole budget thing; nobody likes to talk about it. But, I know that it can make a great difference in how we are able to live. I heard it said once, “You can either tell your money where to go, or wonder where it went.” So we have to decide how we will spend not just our money but our time and lives as well. How will we invest what we have been given?
If you sit down at the beginning of the project to figure out what is important then that will get done. If we just go without a plan we will end up with a disjointed house and life at the end of the day.
There needs to be a plan with the budget. But with building projects and life things usually end up popping up that we never see coming. A rafter here or moving a drain pipe there can steal from the budget at times. That is why there should always be some wriggle room in every budget. Solomon talked about this in Proverbs 21:20 from The Living Bible translation: “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.” So if we always spend everything we get, then when stuff comes up we got caught short.
Andy Stanley uses a formula for money. He teaches 10% to God, 10% to savings & live on 80%. If you aren’t religious then what about sharing 10% with a charity that you believe in. The 80% can seem a bit intimidating at first. But if we make a conscious choice to change our lifestyle and the way we spend our time and money then we can have a chance to reach that number. Our future selves will be grateful for our sacrifice now. In the future we will have what we need and be able to bless others if we control ourselves today.
Then when the reveal is done they always talk about total equity. When the final tally is done, what will be the sum total of all that investment of time and money. Will we have built enough equity to look back and realize that we invested well? How do we make sure we build equity not just in a house but in our lives?
We can build equity here and now by helping others. It should not be the reason we help others, but each time we do we build up equity with them. After all no one really wants to run and help someone who is always “busy” on the occasion we need help. Solomon once again said this in Proverbs 11:24 – 25 (NCV), “Some people give much but get back even more. Others don’t give what they should and end up poor. Whoever gives to others will get richer; those who help others will themselves be helped.” When we share our time and resources with other people we in turn are blessed because we have helped others. Then they help us back and it becomes an unending circle of blessing others. We have to reach out and help others to build that equity though.
We can build equity in heaven with our generosity in this world. There are many things said about what people think or talk about on their death bed. I’m not sure how many of them are accurate, but I do know that once you are on your death bed it is too late to do anything but talk. Jesus encouraged us to store up treasure in the life to come in Matthew 6:19 – 21 in the New Century Version: “Don’t store treasures for yourselves here on earth where moths and rust will destroy them and thieves can break in and steal them. But store your treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will be where your treasure is.” I think he is teaching us that when we share here or give to help someone else we are sending it to a place that will not forget our gifts.
As a Christian I believe that the tithe I give to the church to help tell others about God’s love is an eternal investment. I’m not too sure I’m all in on the mansion over a hilltop or getting a great big house in the next life. I just think that my actions here will echo into eternity. So today I get to decide what my echo will say about me from now on. Once I die I cannot fix or change that echo. I can only determine what it will be by how I use my budget to create equity in eternity.
So equity is built daily. When we are kind to people they will eventually be kind back to us. When we share a few dollars with a friend they might just pick up the check when we are a little short. Plus you are eventually going to need help moving that piano one day. So maybe we might want to clear some time when our friend needs help moving a chair. Equity, something we all want and need at times. The best time to build it is before you need it. If we live with the big reveal in mind our lives will become transformational for all of us.