Quite literally.
This past month has been a journey, one that has offered us growth and revealed more about who we are as individuals, as well as a family.
It begins with the regular hobby of my wife (and some other women too?) of exploring open houses. Dreaming about what it’d be like to have a bit more elbow room, closets in each bedroom, and sidewalks to teach our girls how to ride their bikes. It’s not about being unsatisfied with our current home, realizing there are areas of the world, and even the U.S. where to have a home like ours is beyond the largest dream.
Which highlights one of the first major differences. One of the things I’ve loved about my wife ever since we began dating in college, was her desire to change things. She does not become complacent easily, and always asks the question “What could be?”. Usually, for a guy with the personality that would be quite fine surviving in a house of any size as long as the dishes are done (my OCD coming through)…I haven’t traditionally responded well immediately.
But a few weeks ago, she was “ooooh”-ing over a particularly nice house in the historic end of town. She even convinced me to come with her. I went through the motions, and tried to “do” what was asked, without quite taking the endeavor seriously. The house, after all, was beyond our “budget”, and it was a pipe dream. I don’t enjoy looking at a car unless I’m going to drive it…that sort of thing.
Later that week, the price of the house was reduced in such a way that it became a possibility. I caught my wife’s vision for “What could be?”, and we immediately transformed life into that of house-selling/buying. Had a contingency offer accepted, based on selling our current home. Then the waiting began. We heard all sorts of advice, from “claim the property in prayer, and it’s yours”, to “if it’s God’s will, it’ll happen”, to the much more preferred by me – “guess you can just pray, and wait, and see if it happens”.
But these range of responses, along with a recently renewed practice of praying together regularly, added to the recent study of Luke 18:1-8, and we’ve had some good times. What is the will of God, in regard to my home? I teach that God cares about the smallest detail, and encourage teens to pray about anything their hearts are impacted by, no matter how silly. All of this points to the fact that God hears our hearts when we pray for this move to happen.
Perhaps He will still actively move in a way that opens the door to this move. It seems the door is closing, however, tempting us to ask the question – what was/is God up to?
In moments like this, we cling to the fact that God continues to be faithful. Even the passage in Luke 18 doesn’t emphasize the widow “got her way” eventually. It points to the fact that that faith was found, God’s complete Justice is coming, and encourages the disciples to not lose heart. To keep praying, and that is the point. We continue to be incredibly blessed, not simply because we have a home and other material comforts…but because we have a God who hears when we pray.
Like I said…maybe it’ll still happen. But no matter what, I look forward to continuing to pray often with my family toward whatever may come….God with us. 🙂
words from wick 