What A Ride!

Decisions. There are so many ramifications from the decisions we make. The decision may be a great change and exciting, the ramifications following that decision…not so much. Until…we get through it. God talks about through a lot in the Bible. So I am trusting in the “through”. It’s how I can make sense of all the stuff that happens in between the decision and the through.

As you may remember, we put our home on the market just two weeks ago. From the time it hit the MLS, we had nine showings within two and a half days! We would have had more, but as soon as realtors realized there was an offer on the table, they backed out of showing the house, even though we were willing to entertain further offers. So interesting how people do business. I learn more every time we do something like this. We had an offer within about five days and we accepted. Decisions…

As we walk our each day, and sometimes drag is more accurate, I have found that I have to keep talking to myself and turning my thinking around. People asking me where we are going to live. I don’t know. I am trusting God to bring us the right place to be. We have looked at several. We have made an offer on one and had some kind of unpleasant experience with that which led to our offer not being considered. Ready to make an offer on another one, one hour before see it we get a phone call that they removed the listing and had changed their minds. We get a text a couple of days later and the listing is back on the market again. We go out to see it and what looks quite big, is quite small. What looks like a spacious lot is actually not so large. Yes, a wide-angle lens was used. Up, and down. Up, and then down. It can wear you out! Yes, I know that it may not have been the “one”. Yes I know that I need to trust God. But as you may have also found out, with any decision, it is HARD.

Life can be like that. We have all had expectations of how we think our life was going to be. Yah…that didn’t happen. We even look toward changing it to be more of what we want it to be. Change is great. We should be always willing to change and evolve. I believe God wants that for us. So, as we go through each day with high stress levels and disappointments, I am asking God often to encourage me. Remind me Lord that you are my Source. Show me. Show me your ways. Send Your Holy Spirit. Encourage me through family, friends and my surroundings. Remind me once again, that we won’t be living in a motor home somewhere out there because we don’t have a home to go to. 🙂 You may recall my word for this year… Remember… Hahaha!!! Doesn’t God have a sense of humor or what?!? In this case, I remember His daily faithfulness with me in the past, so that, I can trust Him more with my future.

What can I share with you that I have learned through this experience? Here are a couple:

We have gotten more projects completed on the house since its been on the market, than has gotten done in the three years we have lived here. Why IS that? Why do we wait to have our homes like we want? I realize that sometimes its a money issue on bigger items, but on the small things? No. I recommend getting them completed. I am determined that our next home is complete as quickly as we can. I don’t have to live in a “half-completed state of projects”. I want to rest in the preparedness of completion. That doesn’t mean I won’t change out or update some things here and there, but the main list is going to get checked off this time. NOTE: If this resonates with you, I would encourage you to rethink your list. Enjoy your home as you really thought it could be when you got it. Get that work list done so you are ALL enjoying every aspect of your home! It will save you a big headache or constant distraction in your every day! It will also give stability to you and your family. Our family deserves to have that stability in the home. I remember reading about a woman that didn’t put her decorations all up in her home because she THOUGHT se might move. One day God spoke to her heart about giving her family the security and comfort that they deserved in her home. So she began to decorate it and her family noticed and commented how cozy it felt. I know it has felt great for me to see them done, even though someone else will enjoy the benefits. I feel good leaving the home to the next owners with those complete.
One other thing is, thin out! Don’t keep those things you think you might use. Ask your children IF they would want the item, and if they don’t, ask extended family members. Lighten the load on your mind. Share it with someone who might need it or just may want it. I have had a lot of fun doing that! It may also be that those items are taking up precious space you can better use for something else. It’s hard. I know that. But it feels great to do it! If it was totally up to me, we would have a very light move. Alas, it isn’t just up to me. Another area I must turn over to God.

Let me leave you with this. Staying in gratitude is important when you go through a big change; any change. Stay in the game. Ask God to be a part and to show you from His perspective. I know that as I am out there looking for our next home that we can BOTH agree on, I will be seeking God’s perspective, not my own. He knows. He has decided where. He just hasn’t told me yet.