Would you live in a tiny house?  It’s the question for buyers on the popular HGTV show, Tiny House Hunters.

I’m a fan of House Hunters featuring traditional sized homes. So when the pint-sized version appeared a while back, I watched a few episodes. At first, I was underwhelmed. There just isn’t enough room for my stuff.

Then I was moved with compassion. I know these tiny dwellings could meet the needs of the homeless. The sleeping lofts could bring additional comfort to families who live in tents or huts.

But from a purely materialistic perspective, these well-appointed models revealed my hoarding heart.

Typically under 600 square feet, smallness is the upside for homebuyers seeking this trend. They want to downsize from larger homes or have a simpler lifestyle.

Hence, tiny houses aren’t made for excess. They’re highly functional and made for the essentials. It’s an intentional design.

Imagine if these homes were expressions of our hearts. What would yours look like?

I’d like to think there would be evidence of my commitment to Christ.  But if I tried to stuff my hoarding heart into a tiny house, selfish desires and misinformed perspectives would bulge from the windows. I’d struggle to let them go.

Yet when I see how unsightly they are from the outside and how much stress they cause on the inside, I’d reconsider. I’d want to simplify my life too. Each time I look for simplicity, the essential always surfaces:

Making more room for God’s Presence in my life is His intentional design. This verse would fit nicely above the door:

God, I love living with you; your house glows with your glory. – Psalm 26:8 MSG

And I often find His glow in the unexpected.

After weeks of watching tiny house hunters find their treasure, I decided a tiny home wasn’t for me. Then one day one showed up at the end of my driveway.

Now things got interesting.

Was it a surprise from my husband? He knows I love the idea of a having a writing cottage. With its cozy porch, this house (pictured here) would offer the perfect writer’s getaway in my backyard.

Now tiny houses were trending #fabulous in my mind.

But to my surprise, my husband didn’t jump out and yell surprise. And this was not my house. The polite driver said he was delivering it to a different subdivision. The front of my house was his parking space while he delivered a storage shed to my neighbor.

In a few short minutes, I’d gone from thinking tiny is not good enough to day-dreaming about its potential. I realize my day dreams omitted the part where I scale back on the excesses and let go of my hindrances.

But that’s when I realized:

With God, even tiny steps of faith can be transformational.

His will may seem restrictive when we have to wait, we need to sacrifice or we misunderstand the magnitude of His plan. But it’s the loveliest place I know. Coming to terms with what He desires (or what He allows) may be painful or take a while to process. But it is perfectly purposed for me to grow in His grace and truth. And so I ask again,

Would you live in a tiny house?

It would be a major adjustment for me. But by God’s grace it could lead to hope for the heart and joy to the soul.