Dear Jesus,
It’s the middle of June 2020. I’m in the middle of a dark pit. You know this. I cry out for help daily.
One way to help myself get out is to remember your faithfulness. Here’s the rest of the house story and how you worked out everything for my good.
December 2018
I remember standing in the hall outside my pastor’s office talking to him, telling him that I needed to find a place to live, and soon. My divorce was in process and selling the house I was living in was part of it. The clock was ticking and I didn’t have a lot of time left. I can recall telling him about my housing search, most of the houses were over my budget unless I still wanted to be paying a mortgage when I was in my 70’s. He gave me some possible ideas on ways to get it lower, but what I really needed was God to move.
From coming out of a lot of debt when being married, I really didn’t want to be in much debt being single. At least when you are married, if one person loses a job, gets injured, the other partner is still able to work. This isn’t the case for singles. If I lose my job or for some reason can’t work, well there is no other income that is even an option. I wanted to be smart with my finances. Thanks to Dave Ramsey’s useful online calculator I was able to determine how much Dave said I should pay for my mortgage. And based on my salary, it wasn’t much. You can’t even rent a place in my community with how much he said I should spend on housing. I was feeling pretty hopeless.
I’d looked at all the houses in town that were even close to my budget and they all either sold after I’d call back, were tied up in tax issues, or were just not going to work.
There was this one house though.
I’d driven by a few times, noticing the “For Sale” sign in the window. It was not in a place I thought I’d like to live, right on Main Street. I’d asked a few people about this house and they said the kitchen was tiny, it had a small yard and was probably too small for my family.
I’d ran out of options though and had no choice but to call about this house. Much to my surprise I knew the lady that answered. She was one of my aunts best friends and would be able to show me the house the next day. She answered a few basic questions, like number of bedrooms and bathrooms and well, so far it was what I was needing.
Is it wrong to ask God for specific details in a house? I don’t think so, because I sure did. All I really wanted was a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, with a laundry room on the main floor, and at least one car garage. That didn’t seem like a lot to ask. It didn’t have to be new or nice, I was willing to put in a lot of elbow grease.
Well, the next day I showed up to look at the house. It’s a cute little two-story brick house, that does sit on a corner on Main St. I walked in and was surprised at how open it was. The living and dining room/office/reading room were much bigger than what I currently had. Walk around the corner and there is the kitchen and so much storage, even more in the hallway. The kitchen counter tops were dated, but the cabinets were fine. Just need a little cosmetic work done. There were two good size bedrooms (both with big closets and built in cabinets/shelves), a laundry room (with a sink!) and a bathroom on the main floor. I went upstairs to find two huge bedrooms and an additional bathroom. I was shocked at how big these rooms were. In some of the houses we looked at I questioned whether I’d even be able to fit a twin size bed and a dresser in what was called a bedroom. The basement was not huge or finished, but a great place for storage and shelter. Did I mention that this house had a two car garage, attached! The one drawback was that I was coming from a house on 5 acres to a house that is on maybe 1/4 acre. The backyard is tiny, but was big enough to fit the trampoline (my daughters only requirement). I was curious about the price, I found out it was in my budget. This house had been sitting on the market for over 6 months, and the buyer was ready to sell.
I offered less, way less, and it was countered to an amount to what I could still afford. I couldn’t believe how God had saved this house for over six months for me. It was perfect (except for all that 1980’s paint) and had everything I wanted. After a lot of painting, some new carpet and some cosmetic work in the kitchen this place looks great. I love my house.
You know what else?
I love living on Main Street. I live two blocks from where I work, across the street from the high school (easy for the kids to roll out of bed then walk to school), two blocks from my church and a short walk to the middle school. I literally live in the middle of town.
I am blessed to work in my yard and have friends honk and wave at me while doing so. I am blessed to have a front row seat to any parade in town. I am blessed to be able to walk or ride my bike to anywhere in town. I am blessed to be able to afford my house and not still be paying for it when I’m 70. I am blessed to not have a huge yard to take care of (I can mow all my grass in less than 10 minutes!).
The Lord knew that Co-Vid 19 would happen and we’d be stuck in our house for weeks. At least we got to see people daily driving around. He also knew that I’d be living by myself for awhile. I can’t imagine the loneliness I’d feel out in the country. I get to see people, talk to my neighbors, say hi to people walking by my house, wave to friends driving by and just sit on my front porch watching the happenings around town. (Did I mention that an ice cream shop opened up one block from me!!!)
God knew what I needed before I even did. When this house went up for sale, I was still holding onto hope that my marriage would survive. God knew what was ahead of me.
I’m going to hold on to the hope that he knows what’s ahead of me right now too. There is a reason for this season. I don’t know what it is and I don’t particularly like it, but I do know that I can trust God. He’s got my best interest in mind for what he’s shaping me for. I’ll keep following him, going where he follows.
Thank you Jesus, for this house. I want to honor you with it. Please guide me in how to use it for you.
I am still amazed at how you worked out all the details. And a special thanks for that laundry room on the main floor. You know the way to a woman’s heart. 🙂
Help me to always remember your faithfulness.
Love you forever,
Your Beloved daughter
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