Bigger is always better, right? Not if you ask an increasing number of people gravitating toward smaller real estate. The Wiki page for the tiny house movement (also known as the small house movement) states that in the United States, as of 2007, the average new, single-family home had grown to nearly 2,500 square feet. This figure was up significantly from the 1,700 square feet average from the late 1970’s—in spite of the fact that the average family size was less in 2007 than it had been in 1978.

Tiny houses tip the scales back in the other direction. To be considered a true “tiny house” the structure must be less than 1,000 square feet, yet rarely does a tiny home exceed 500 square feet. Tiny houses are used as permanent residences, temporary shelter, office space, or even as a mobile dwelling. The reasons for adopting the tiny house lifestyle are as varied as the people who live in them. Some are trying to save money; lesser house obviously costs less. Some are trying to overcome the cultural norm of gaining for the sake of gain and a willingness to mortgage ourselves to the hilt—people tend to buy as much house as they can afford, seldom reflecting on how much house they might actually need. And some are just having fun with design! For a long time architects and designers have collaborated (particularly in urban spaces) to see how much living space they can pack into a given small square footage.

The total real-estate market share for tiny houses is only 1 percent; it’s a baby movement, to be sure. But the concept should be thought-provoking to us as Christians: What do our material possessions say about our faith in God? What does our standard of living say about our willingness to rely on God?

Question of the Day: What could you keep if your house was the size of your bedroom?
Talk Topic Scriptures: Exodus 16:2-5; 1 Kings 17:10-16; Luke 9:1-6 

For a complete lesson on this topic visit LinC here!

full photo attribution "Tiny house in yard, Portland" by Tammy - Weekend with Dee. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons