13. How did one couple make the right sacrifices?

¹³ Consider Henry and Suzanne. They have full faith in God’s promise that all who put the Kingdom first in their life will receive God’s help. (Matthew 6:33) Thus, they chose to live in an inexpensive home so that instead of both working secularly, they could spend more time in spiritual pursuits with their two daughters. (Hebrews 13:15, 16) One well-meaning friend could not understand their choice. She told Suzanne: “Honey, if you ever want to live in a nicer place, you’ll just have to sacrifice something.” Henry and Suzanne, though, knew that putting Jehovah first “holds promise of the life now and that which is to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8; Titus 2:12) Their daughters grew up to be zealous full-time evangelizers. As a family, they feel that they missed out on nothing; rather, they benefited a great deal by making the pursuit of “the real life” their purpose.​—Philippians 3:8; 1 Timothy 6:6-8.

Keith and Bonnie took this to heart. “I became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses just as I was completing dental school,” Keith relates. “I had a choice. I could take on many patients and make a lot of money, but doing so would cut into our spiritual life. I chose to limit my practice so as to have more time for the spiritual and emotional well-being of our family, which came to include five daughters. Though we rarely had extra funds, we learned to economize, and we always had what we needed. Family life was close, warm, and full of joy. Eventually, all of us entered the full-time ministry. Now our daughters are happily married, three of them with children of their own. Their families too are happy as they continue to put Jehovah’s purpose first.”