Let Reality be the Teacher

I have been learning a lot about waiting, about asking, about surrendering, about doing without, about stretching every penny, and waiting some more.  I love the lyrics of Aaron Keyes' song Sovereign Over Us: "He is working in our waiting.  He is sanctifying us.  When beyond our understanding, you're teaching me to trust." 

 

We moved three years ago from one state to another as my husband took on a new career and adventure while we decided it was best for our family for me to stay home to raise the kiddos, and as a result of that move, we had to short sale two homes, our residential and our investment property.  We spent a long time trying to sell the homes hoping for a miracle that someone would come along and fall in love with our homes even though the market was flooded with homes.  We knew it was possible.  We prayed.  We asked.  We beseeched His throne.  This miracle did not come. 

 

Upon coming to the dreadful conclusion that both homes were tremendously underwater due to the economy tanking, we began the long drawn out process of trying to short sale them knowing that our only hope in moving forward was to get rid of them.   This was so humbling and gut wrenching.  Hindsight is always 20/20.  I was so proud.  We had perfect credit.  We always paid our bills.  We put 20% down on both homes, fixed them up, etc.  We worked hard.  This should not happen to us!  About this same time, our belongings, which we stored in a family member's basement/ storage unit, flooded significantly multiple times.  We did not have insurance on these things because family members had been storing things in this location for years with much success.  Whoever thought there would be a flood, let alone multiple ones?

 

God stripped us of much of our earthly security and wrongful thinking but instead gave us Himself.  As we asked and asked for help and wisdom,  His mercies poured out a fresh each and every morning just as His word tells us even though He chose in His goodness to not answer the way we wanted Him to.  He wanted us to walk that road for reasons we may not ever fully understand this side of heaven, but I do feel like He has given us glimpses of why along with joy in many small things. 

 

We are currently hoping to buy again in the near future, but our goals have significantly changed in what we want in a home.  We want to have a small home even as a family of soon to be 6, a very simple home, with a low mortgage, so that we can pay off that mortgage as soon as possible.  We know with a small home our utilities will be less as well.  We want to remain debt free so we can remain financially free.   We are asking God to provide.  It is hard to want something so badly and have to wait on His timing, the right home, etc.  To find a really good deal, we hope to find a short sale home or a foreclosed home, and as we well know, this can take so much time.  When dealing with a short saled home, the bank certainly is in no hurry.  There are no guarantees.  So we wait all the while continually leaving our longings at His feet and asking Him to provide what He thinks is best for our family and His glory in His timing.  Would you pray for us?