What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

A Good Man

 

So I have to take a minute and brag a bit. 

But just a *bit*, I promise.

A couple months ago there was some SERIOUS tractor-buying pressure going on around here.  We surely needed a bigger tractor than the one Matt had, if we are going to be fixing barns and hauling logs for lumber/firewood out of the woods.   The only question was- new or used?

Both sides have their obvious advantages, of course~ a new tractor is super reliable for a very long time, you know exactly what you are getting, and, oh yeah- it is SUPER shiny.  But the biggest pull is that there is 0% financing for 4 years.  (Free money!)  We could buy the tractor and make payments and KEEP our savings intact while not accruing a cent of interest fees for four years!  An older tractor, on the other hand, you pay MUCH less money for and are able to pay it off without adding any payments to your long-term plans....and some new paint could make it shiny, to boot.

Well- as Matt was pondering these choices he was having some SERIOUS pressure from both sides of the fence (I won't name names but I bet you can guess what side of that fence I was on....) and for a very long time- MONTHS even, I did not know how it was going to turn out.  In fact, I didn't know the ending of the story until the day before a brand-spanking new tractor could have been delivered to our door.

It was this weird place between wanting to inwardly scream and choke the man and knowing I had to respectfully voice my opinion and then wait to see.  I knew very well I couldn't play "woman games" like guilt-trips or over-pressuring---but in my mind the seriousness of the decision could almost warrant the sin. :-)

Well, I am happy to report, the man pulled through.  At the very last second, he had this wisdom epiphany and bought the used tractor with the cash we had been saving for that express purpose.  That day as he called me to let me know what his decision was, he kept going on and on about what had made his decisions clear and they were remarkably the same as all the things I had been quietly bringing up for months--but I didn't care at all-the relief was so great I could barely focus on anything else. 



So he bought his new-TO-HIM tractor.
And then, with the little bit extra, he also bought a woodsplitter.

 

 Then, a week later, he posted his old tractor on Craigslist and sold it.  And do you know what the man did then?  He gave me (ME!) half, to finish off the amount needed for a new camera.  (No-I didn't ask him and even fought against it-but he refused.)  The rest of the money he will most likely use, says he,  on a brushhog. 

 

For the cost of the downpayment of a spankin' new tractor, Matt bought:

 a tractor,
a wood splitter,
a new camera for his wifey
and a brushhog. 

And the best part?  No monthly payments making monthly budgets BEYOND tight for years to come...no monthly payments stealing money away from our double mortgage payments...no monthly payments leaving extra cash non-existent for emergencies like replacing tires (we've had two flats in the last month!) or pregnancies (hey, it could happen!) or trips to the doctors (I have one on Friday.) No monthly payments making our lives so much more stressful.

He makes me proud, this man of mine.  Never, in 10 years of marriage, has he made me prouder.  I know how much a nice shiny tractor would have been for him and how hard a decision it was for him. 

And getting a new camera out of the deal wasn't all that bad, either. (thank you, Mattie!) 

Any future photos in blogposts are thanks to Matt~ so you guys can say thank you too!  ;-)

He's a Keeper.



13 comments:

Bonnie said...

This makes me smile : D

ulli said...

What a happy post! Thanks, Matt--you're a keeper! You made your wife very happy.

Terri said...

Nice! You are right - a good man! :-)

local tourist said...

Good story ending .. love the country side photos too btw

Anonymous said...

What kind of camera did you get? I soooooo want a full-frame!!

~Caite

JenniferM said...

So do you follow suit and buy a used camera? I have no idea what the used camera market is like, but I was just wonderin' if the thought crossed your mind. : )

Rebecca said...

To Caite and JenniferM~

I got a CanonT3i. It is great from what I can tell, but I haven't learned the ropes very well yet. For example-I have no idea how to adjust the aperture. :-)

And yes, the thought of buying a used camera certainly DID cross my mind. About a million times. Especially when Matt handed money over to me to use for a camera.

In fact, I even suggested it-but Matt was super encouraging and was on me every night about "Did you get that camera? Did you call that camera guy?" Checking cameras out online. I had the money for two weeks (maybe three?) before I even thought seriously about buying any camera, new or used, because I felt guilty about using "his money".

So why did I buy new instead of used? Because I could pay in cash for it. I had been saving to get a T3i so I had a great start on that already. In fact, I had enough money (if I scrimped) to get the really upgraded new, top-of-the-line camera but I couldn't do it precisely BECAUSE Matt gave up his tractor.

I wanted Matt to have a NEW tractor (in the worst way!), but I knew we couldn't hack the payments comfortably and we CERTAINLY didn't have enough money to buy one flat out. So the only wise decision was the one he made.

I have nothing against buying things new. I only have something against buying something new when you can't afford it.

Anonymous said...

I will only buy new digital cameras - there are too many thing that can go wrong with technogy & when investing that much money I will go new to make sure I have the warrantee coverage. Now old film cameras.....that's a different story! I <3 vintage cameras!! Too bad I lost my darkroom and can't develop my own film anymore. *sigh* Maybe again someday....digital has ruined the art of photography. :/

~Caite

Anonymous said...

it is beautifully apparent in the glimpses of your sons in these pictures that they are soaking up what it is to be a hardworking man -- just precious, and so blessed!

b in va

JenniferM said...

Yes, new vs. used can be a tough decision ... even exactly how used can be difficult. I'm with you ladies that I don't really buy second-hand electronics. Although, we have been pleased with things we've bought refurbished.

I actually was surprised when reading this that the decision was so difficult for Matt. You guys strike me as always being very rational about your purchasing habits. Perhaps it was just a matter for finding a good used option? Tractors have a pretty long life and Matt seems pretty capable of doing some repair work if he had to. (Totally not the case in this household!)

What I'm MOST impressed with, though, is YOUR ability not to turn it into an argument. My own ability in this respect often falls short. :(

Nanci said...

Good man! Good woman behind the man! The epitomy of goodness in our good God, who so graciously supplies not only our needs, but oft' times what we desire as well. "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart!" . . .even wisdom epiphanies when we leave it to Him.

Congrats to both of you!!!

Marlene Bibby said...

Thank you Matt! Have fun Rebecca!

Amanda said...

It takes a man...to make a woman.

A love like Christ and the Church.

Amen to a post with love all over it!