...so much that the couple lines in the last post does just NOT do them justice. And even more than to publically praise them, I just want to share with you what Charlie and I learned from living with them.
The Brieger's (Duane & Marylou) or, as Asher knows them, as his "College Station Grandparents", Dr. Duane & Mammy--Ou, were selfless enough to let us live with them from July 20-Sept 23. What started out as what us, rookie home renovators, thought would be just a couple weeks turned into over 2 months!
The entire time we lived there--they served us, loved us, showed us what it meant to live out hospitality and did it with joy the entire 1,560 hours we lived with them! Not kidding. There was never a moment that we felt like they didn't want us there or like we were getting on their nerves. And that doesn't mean that we weren't! They genuinely lived out 1 Peter 4 before us.
Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other...Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another...Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. 1 Peter 4:8-11
You know how the Bible says that nothing is really our own...that it all belongs to Him? Duane and Marylou actually live this way! When we lived with them they did not let us pay for ANYthing!
Nothing.
We ate their food, did many loads of laundry there, drove their cars, and they babysat Asher often. We basically took over their house and were treated like honored guests the entire two months we stayed with them.
After a couple of weeks of living with them, we asked how we could help out...if we could pay rent, pay for our groceries, do some chores around the house--something! They said no. They just told us to pass it on.
Never again will I be annoyed when someone pours themself some of my organic milk and doesn't finish it. Seriously, I would calculate in my head that it was about a good $0.75 that someone had literally just poured down my drain. How selfish I am!
Living with the Brieger's has blessed us more than just materially. We've learned invaluable lessons of love, selflessness, service, hospitality and joy. Nothing belongs to us, anyway...God's given us everything we posess...so how come it's such a surprise when people act the way that God tells us we're supposed to be living?