House: For the win.

A little backstory for those that don't know about our home-buying experience thus far, check out this post. By the way, that house did not work out, and it was our 6th contract that fell through.

We have had a more frustrating path than most, I believe, when it comes to our first-time home purchase. As of last week, we were feeling exhausted and a tad pessimistic. We had been on a trend of seeing 5-10 houses per week, and there was always one reason or another why any house was not right for us.

The first time we saw this house, we didn't actually like it. It was well out of the price range we were looking at, and it needed some work. A few days after we saw it though, it dropped by $20,000! We saw the house again after the price drop and, looking at it under a different lens, we LOVED it! We decided to put an offer on it the next day. We left our Realtor's office that day holding our breath, remembering that we had been in this spot several times before and still never actually made it to a closing day. This house is a foreclosure though, so we were hoping to hear back one way or another pretty quickly.

Three days later we had still not heard anything back on the house, and we were starting to get anxious. At our Sunday morning church group, we heard a message on God's will. We have been working through the book of James for the last few months and this particular Sunday we were on James 4:13-17:

Look here, you people who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog – it's here a little while, then it's gone. What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

These words hit very close to home because of this whole housing situation and how it plays into our long-term plans for our family. As a "Type A" person, this was not exactly a message I felt enthusiastic about. I love making plans. I have a 1-year, a 5-year, and a 20-year plan. And when my plans get changed, I freak out. So the reminder that God can just uproot my life and destroy my plans makes me less-than-pumped.

That night I was reading and reflecting on these verses from Matthew 6:

Seek first the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.

I made a commitment last night that when I get frustrated or stressed or worried about our housing situation, I'm going to dive into God's Word. I gave it all up to Him. The stress, the worry, and the decision itself. If it works out, God has decided that's the house for us, and if it doesn't, He's got something else in store for us.

I was reading these verses at 9:30pm, just before bed. I wouldn't see the email until the next morning, but at 9:33pm we got the accepted offer email from our Realtor.

God is awesome.