Underwater - Part 1

Where we live there is a beautiful double wide beach front lot on one side and a giant 3-story home on the other side. The empty lot has been there since the beginning of time, but last week it finally went up for sale, probably because real estate prices have skyrocketed.

As far as the 3-story home on the other side, we don’t really know the owner because he rents it out non-stop all year long, charging thousands of dollars per week. But recently, my wife ran into him when he stopped by to check on his rental home. She asked him if he knew that the empty lot was now up for sale and his eyes got big. He told my wife, “Yes, and I plan on buying that lot if I can get it for under $10 million. Then I plan on building two more 3-story rental homes.” Since the man looks to be in his sixties, that plan seemed pretty ambitious to me and my first thought was, why not enjoy what you already have?

Our neighbor went on to explain to my wife. “Rental homes at the beach are awesome money-making machines! I want to have lots of money rolling in so I can set up my children and grandchildren, so they don’t have to work.”

When my wife told me what he said, I had to stop and think about it. We have 4 children and I definitely enjoy helping them and doing things for them. Last week for example, I helped my youngest daughter and son-in-law install lights and fans at their new home. I also used my truck to pick up patio furniture for my oldest daughter and deliver it to her home. But it has never occurred to me to make life “financially easy” for them and set them up so they don’t have to work. I guess I have always felt that life is supposed to be hard so that we become resourceful and resilient… and that when we have to work for something, we appreciate it more.

But my neighbor’s comment got me thinking… What if I lived near the water, but was financially underwater in my life and didn’t have any money to leave to my children? Would that be a bad thing? Or the more important question is... "What is it that young people truly need from us? 

We might not make bank deposits every day,

but each day of our lives we do make deposits into the memory banks of our children.

~ Charles R. Swindoll