The House Hunt

We have been hunting for a house to move into for a while now. 

It's been... and interesting and unique journey thus far.

I write this post (and all my posts) for a 3-fold reason. 
(1) For my children to be able to look back on a glean wisdom (or at least some laughs) from.
(2) To keep my horrible, damaged memory from forgetting things I want to remember.
(3) To encourage anyone who happens to stumble upon this blog to live their lives falling in love with Jesus and their eyes on what really matters.


We have fell in love with 3 different houses now and had each one torn away from us for one reason or another. And now, there is literately NOTHING on the market that fits the criteria we are looking for in a house. AND (I am not even joking) every house we have looked at, even if it's been on the market for months and months, sells right after we look at it or inquire about it. 

But there are some things I have learned through all this:



(1) Perspective: Man this changes everything! It changes how we view things, how we feel about things, and how we react to things. Let me explain.

We know that:
(1) God is in control 
(2) We believe God wants us back into Saint Paul 
(3) We want a house that will make our monthly living expenses less 
(4) We want a house that is large enough to expand our family as well as open us up for ministry opportunities such as hosting meetings/having people stay with us.

Because of this, we aren't swayed to buy something out of our price range, or out of our desired area to live in. We also aren't disappointed when 3 houses that we loved got taken right from under us. We know that God has something better for us even if we don't see how much more perfect it can get then the last 3 homes we made offers on.

Main lesson: If you know what God has spoken to your heart, you can hold onto that and avoid disappointment, frustrations, or any amount of persuasion/fleshly desires that entice you to go for something you actually don't want.

(2) A Thing, is just that, A Thing: Whether it's a house, a car, a piece of clothing, or a coffee mug, it's all just material possessions. Yes I realize a house is a bigger investment and holds more "weight" then the other possessions, but... does it really? 

Is it not God who gives and takes away?
Don't all material possessions truly belong to Him?
Isn't it all here one moment and could be gone the next?
Is it REALLY THAT important???
When we get to heaven, are we really going to be talking about the house we lived in?
Compare this to people in other countries/situations. People are getting killed, persecuted, starving ect. 

Main lesson:I believe value is in the eyes of the person who possess something. We can put great stock into our material possessions and I promise, we will be greatly disappointed and lacking if we do. Or we can put our stock (emotions, joy, hope) into things  that we will actually be talking about for eternity.



(3) Patience is something I am NOT good at!!!

Oh man! I am not so good at patience. I am a go-getter, seriously! I see what I want, and do whatever it takes to get it. This is great when I am faced with something I need to get done. I get it done, efficiently and effectively. However, when it comes to this whole house thing, It's been really hard for me to wait on other people. 

I need to wait on my husband to talk to the realtor. 
I need to wait for the realtor to schedule the showing. 
I need to wait for the showing to roll around.
I need to wait for my husband to decide if he wants to put in an offer.
I need to wait to hear back if our offer was accepted.
THEN... I get to do it all over again because our offer was out-bided/ we don't qualify for whatever reason.


Main lesson: Practice patience and embrace it! It's so vital in our walks with the Lord. We NEED to learn to wait on Him, to move when He moves, to stay when He stays. Also in our marriages. To wait on our husbands and by doing so encouraging them as leaders and as men. 



(4) Contentment: I am content. This is something God has worked in me so beautifully. I am fine staying in this apartment as long as God wants us here. I was content in a one-bedroom home, expecting my 4th child while living with another person. And I will be content in whatever home the Lord gives us. Why?? I don't live for myself, my comfort, my preferences. I keep my eyes on what's most important and I can therefore be thankful and keep focused and keep my flesh in check.

Main lesson: This is a choice. This takes practice. This takes perspective.

All in all I am pressing on. I am still continuing in life. Still discipling my young ones. Still homeschooling. Still pressing on in the ministry that the Lord has called me to. Not letting my circumstances hinder me from doing what God has called me to.

Excited to share with you all what the Lord ends up doing in this whole situation. Praying our realtor comes to know Christ. And our loan officer. Can't wait to share all the stories and details of what the Lord has done/is doing through all this... but not yet... not until it's time :)