Building A House Of Love

Building a House of Love

Whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free.

James 2:12

You’ve heard of Habitat for Humanity, the international nonprofit organization devoted to building “simple, decent, and affordable” housing. The organization creates housing for low-income families using volunteer labor and donated money, materials, and, sometimes, land. And you probably know the volunteers represent a broad range of professions, including stay-at-home moms, teachers, lawyers, and doctors.

What you may not know is that it all started with one woman’s frustration with her workaholic husband. Linda and Millard Fuller married on August 30, 1959. But neither one of them would have ever predicted the course their life would take some years later. Millard became a millionaire. And he worked hard for his money. But Linda was sick and tired of Millard’s money-grabbing lifestyle. While some envied her big house, fancy cars, vacation homes, and all the rest, Linda couldn’t have cared less. She wanted Millard, not money. That’s why she announced one day that she was going to New York to think about the future of their marriage.

“I was in agony,” Millard said. “Never before had I suffered as I did during those days. Everything else—business, sales, profits, prestige, everything that seemed so important—paled into total meaninglessness.” Linda’s actions were not part of Millard’s plan. It stopped him dead in his tracks. And in a tearful meeting in New York City, Millard and Linda were eventually reunited. They decided to sell their successful business, give the money to charities, and go on a missions trip to Africa, touring schools, hospitals, and refugee programs. Not long after they returned home to Georgia, they gave birth to Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry—now the largest nonprofit housing organization in the United States.

Actions speak louder than words, as we all know. But in case you’re doubting that, you can talk to any one of the hundreds of thousands who have been helped into a new home by Habitat, and they’ll make you a believer.

If you’re like us, you can sometimes talk a good talk when it comes to faith issues. But the story of this “house-building” couple challenged us to make sure we were also walking our talk.^a

I see life as both a gift and a responsibility. My responsibility is to use what God has given me to help his people in need.

—Millard Fuller

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