December 24, 2010…two and a half weeks until foreclosure.
We knew the timing was right for us to list our house back in April. We knew that God was changing the direction and course of our lives. However, that required us to list our house in one of the worst real estate markets ever. Not only was the economy bad for real estate, our property was on 23 acres out in the middle of nowhere. There wasn’t even really a house on it. We had lived in a mobile home that was, well, trying to hold on for dear life. Our intention when we bought the property was to build; however, not too long after we bought the property, the economy started turning and our dreams of building on the property just seemed to get more and more difficult. The land was gorgeous! In the midst of Texas corn fields, we had found a beautiful piece of property with rolling hills, thick trees, and a beautiful creek cutting right through the center of the property. It already had horse pens, sheds, dog kennels…yes, the buildings would need some work, but I am a person of vision and could see much potential with the place. As the years passed and were busy with life and 3 kids, economy changed, and finally, life’s course changed. It was time to sell. However, it was going to take just the right buyer for our type of property.
Our house had been for sale for 9 months with maybe only 3 or 4 showings. After being on the market for 5 months, we packed up and moved over an hour away. The commute for my husband was exhausting him, straining the family, and financially, not affordable. Our full-time income had turned into full-time schooling and our only choice was to move closer to school. We took a leap of faith….well, it was really a cling of faith. The numbers didn’t show how we could even possibly do it.
He is providing our every need (read my blog posting Our Christmas Blessing). Thankful that He cares about the small details of our life so much that He was willing to send His only Son to die for us. Truly, this has been the BEST Christmas that my family has ever experienced because we have chosen to have an attitude of gratitude this Christmas season. Our hearts have been so full of peace, joy, and love. In a time when some are devastated and depressed by situations, we chose hope and promises.
Sometimes people wonder why it seems that God never answers prayers. My answer to that would be that people just don’t wait long enough. I know too many people who give up before it’s in God’s timing to answer the prayer. Why is timing an issue? Think about Christmas. Would it be so special if we just gave everyone their presents as we bought them? Not really. What makes Christmas so fun and exciting is the waiting and anticipation. The only difference is that you know that you will eventually get to open up your gifts on December 25th. Receiving an answer to prayer is a bit like getting Christmas gifts; however, we don’t have a calendar and are not really sure when Christmas day (answers to prayers) will actually arrive. Wouldn’t it be horrible on Christmas Eve to decide that you were tired of waiting and figure that Christmas is never going to come so you don’t even show up in anticipation? As long as you are praying in the will of God, HE WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS. Is it God’s will for you to eat? Yes. Is it His will for you to prosper? Most certainly! Anticipate that He will answer your prayers and your delight and joy when they are answered will be much like a child on Christmas morning.
Sometimes though there are steps that we have to go through…character building steps…that we need to go through along the way before God can give us what He is trying to give us. He needs to be able to trust us. Would you give your 5 year old or 16 year old $1,000 and send them out the front door with a list of specific things to buy? Could you guarantee that the money would be spent the way that it should be spent? We are God’s children and sometimes He has to train us just like we have to train our own children before He can give us His best. The more disciplined we are, the larger our measure of rule.
The past couple of months we have been relying solely on God to supply our needs through our Advocare business and any other avenue that comes our way. Many times things have come through at what seems like the very last minute, however, it has been just the right time for us to see and know that it is ultimately God who controls all things. It has been way past our own doing or strength…way past coincidence…way past our hard work or own drive. My husband has often said that I am the most driven person that he has ever met. I push and push and push until I achieve. I don’t let other people’s negativity keep me from accomplishing my dreams. God has taught me in this time that I have to first rely on Him. We were created to serve and belong to God. When we don’t there is a part of us that is unfulfilled and uneasy. I can sometimes be single focused. I am either serving God or climbing and achieving then I remember to connect with Him and then I go back to achieving…always loving Him along the way, but not really showing it. God is teaching me to put Him and His ways first and everything else will fall into place.
God says ask and you shall receive (Matt 7:7). We had so many things that we wanted to change in our life. We knew alot of them had to do with the way we were raised, examples that we had seen, cultural acceptances, etc. We simply asked God to come in and take complete control of us, teach us His ways, and transform our thinking. I could write pages and pages probably even book after book on everything that has taken place since we as a couple decided to fully trust God in every area of our life. It has been a lot different than just saying I trust in God. It has been a total life transformation.
It has taken a few times of getting to the point of “last minute panic” for us to learn (well, we already knew because we read God’s word and believe God’s word is true….I guess before the truth was deep seeded in us) that it was totally obvious that God was the one who caused it all to work out for us before we could really start understanding and not stressing about situations. We could really believe that God was in control in a deep down, unshakable kind of way. Sometimes I believe that when we decide to take control because it doesn’t seem to be working out it overshadows God and inhibits Him from working because then we take credit for the outcome. Usually, I have found that when we do this we make even more of a mess of the situation.
On our journey, as our trust and faith in God grows, He isn’t waiting to the “last minute” anymore. In the beginning of any journey, it can seem as if your head is spinning and you can’t find your way. Stay the course. Have faith. Believe. Cling to truth. Affirm your decision. Cling to God. Follow Peace as Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Everything can fade away in the blink of an eye. Chase what really matters.
After 9 months, we received a call on Christmas Eve that our house was sold. We had a cash offer. There would be no inspections, bank approvals, or any other kinks that could come up along the way. The family wanted to close as quick as possible and even wanted to mail a check to the realtor that day. Praise to God who never lets us go over the edge of the cliff. Whose timing is always right when we are patiently waiting on Him to move. Who always has a plan and a purpose because He loves us even more than we love our own children. Psalm 89:1 explains it perfectly: I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. How faithful He is! I am so thankful. I can not even say it enough. There are times that I walk around my house crying in sheer joy at how much we are loved by such a great a mighty God.
We knew the timing was right for us to list our house back in April. We knew that God was changing the direction and course of our lives. However, that required us to list our house in one of the worst real estate markets ever. Not only was the economy bad for real estate, our property was on 23 acres out in the middle of nowhere. There wasn’t even really a house on it. We had lived in a mobile home that was, well, trying to hold on for dear life. Our intention when we bought the property was to build; however, not too long after we bought the property, the economy started turning and our dreams of building on the property just seemed to get more and more difficult. The land was gorgeous! In the midst of Texas corn fields, we had found a beautiful piece of property with rolling hills, thick trees, and a beautiful creek cutting right through the center of the property. It already had horse pens, sheds, dog kennels…yes, the buildings would need some work, but I am a person of vision and could see much potential with the place. As the years passed and were busy with life and 3 kids, economy changed, and finally, life’s course changed. It was time to sell. However, it was going to take just the right buyer for our type of property.
Our house had been for sale for 9 months with maybe only 3 or 4 showings. After being on the market for 5 months, we packed up and moved over an hour away. The commute for my husband was exhausting him, straining the family, and financially, not affordable. Our full-time income had turned into full-time schooling and our only choice was to move closer to school. We took a leap of faith….well, it was really a cling of faith. The numbers didn’t show how we could even possibly do it.
He is providing our every need (read my blog posting Our Christmas Blessing). Thankful that He cares about the small details of our life so much that He was willing to send His only Son to die for us. Truly, this has been the BEST Christmas that my family has ever experienced because we have chosen to have an attitude of gratitude this Christmas season. Our hearts have been so full of peace, joy, and love. In a time when some are devastated and depressed by situations, we chose hope and promises.
Sometimes people wonder why it seems that God never answers prayers. My answer to that would be that people just don’t wait long enough. I know too many people who give up before it’s in God’s timing to answer the prayer. Why is timing an issue? Think about Christmas. Would it be so special if we just gave everyone their presents as we bought them? Not really. What makes Christmas so fun and exciting is the waiting and anticipation. The only difference is that you know that you will eventually get to open up your gifts on December 25th. Receiving an answer to prayer is a bit like getting Christmas gifts; however, we don’t have a calendar and are not really sure when Christmas day (answers to prayers) will actually arrive. Wouldn’t it be horrible on Christmas Eve to decide that you were tired of waiting and figure that Christmas is never going to come so you don’t even show up in anticipation? As long as you are praying in the will of God, HE WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS. Is it God’s will for you to eat? Yes. Is it His will for you to prosper? Most certainly! Anticipate that He will answer your prayers and your delight and joy when they are answered will be much like a child on Christmas morning.
Sometimes though there are steps that we have to go through…character building steps…that we need to go through along the way before God can give us what He is trying to give us. He needs to be able to trust us. Would you give your 5 year old or 16 year old $1,000 and send them out the front door with a list of specific things to buy? Could you guarantee that the money would be spent the way that it should be spent? We are God’s children and sometimes He has to train us just like we have to train our own children before He can give us His best. The more disciplined we are, the larger our measure of rule.
The past couple of months we have been relying solely on God to supply our needs through our Advocare business and any other avenue that comes our way. Many times things have come through at what seems like the very last minute, however, it has been just the right time for us to see and know that it is ultimately God who controls all things. It has been way past our own doing or strength…way past coincidence…way past our hard work or own drive. My husband has often said that I am the most driven person that he has ever met. I push and push and push until I achieve. I don’t let other people’s negativity keep me from accomplishing my dreams. God has taught me in this time that I have to first rely on Him. We were created to serve and belong to God. When we don’t there is a part of us that is unfulfilled and uneasy. I can sometimes be single focused. I am either serving God or climbing and achieving then I remember to connect with Him and then I go back to achieving…always loving Him along the way, but not really showing it. God is teaching me to put Him and His ways first and everything else will fall into place.
God says ask and you shall receive (Matt 7:7). We had so many things that we wanted to change in our life. We knew alot of them had to do with the way we were raised, examples that we had seen, cultural acceptances, etc. We simply asked God to come in and take complete control of us, teach us His ways, and transform our thinking. I could write pages and pages probably even book after book on everything that has taken place since we as a couple decided to fully trust God in every area of our life. It has been a lot different than just saying I trust in God. It has been a total life transformation.
It has taken a few times of getting to the point of “last minute panic” for us to learn (well, we already knew because we read God’s word and believe God’s word is true….I guess before the truth was deep seeded in us) that it was totally obvious that God was the one who caused it all to work out for us before we could really start understanding and not stressing about situations. We could really believe that God was in control in a deep down, unshakable kind of way. Sometimes I believe that when we decide to take control because it doesn’t seem to be working out it overshadows God and inhibits Him from working because then we take credit for the outcome. Usually, I have found that when we do this we make even more of a mess of the situation.
On our journey, as our trust and faith in God grows, He isn’t waiting to the “last minute” anymore. In the beginning of any journey, it can seem as if your head is spinning and you can’t find your way. Stay the course. Have faith. Believe. Cling to truth. Affirm your decision. Cling to God. Follow Peace as Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Everything can fade away in the blink of an eye. Chase what really matters.
After 9 months, we received a call on Christmas Eve that our house was sold. We had a cash offer. There would be no inspections, bank approvals, or any other kinks that could come up along the way. The family wanted to close as quick as possible and even wanted to mail a check to the realtor that day. Praise to God who never lets us go over the edge of the cliff. Whose timing is always right when we are patiently waiting on Him to move. Who always has a plan and a purpose because He loves us even more than we love our own children. Psalm 89:1 explains it perfectly: I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. How faithful He is! I am so thankful. I can not even say it enough. There are times that I walk around my house crying in sheer joy at how much we are loved by such a great a mighty God.
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