For those of you who are following my home-buying saga, let me be transparent. After looking at over thirty-five homes and losing eight that we loved, I’m tempted to say, “this stinks.”
Let me tell you about one of my favorite houses. Most of the homes we’ve made offers on have been brick, but one was a pale blue vinyl and the smallest home we’ve considered. The one-acre yard screamed my name with a lovely view just over the back fence. Two cows enjoyed their afternoon rest. My heart leapt for joy when I saw them. I squealed and called out, “Hello cows! How are you today?” One stood and stared at me. I don’t think she’s had many strangers say hello, but I love cows. We lived on a farm for a few years with Kenn’s parents and raised lots of them. Although I walked through the house, I didn’t need to. The cows convinced me to make an offer.
I stated this in my last blog: “But we persevere. We strive to find a home despite these difficulties. God is still in control and knows where our house is located and when we’ll find it. He has a plan for us, and we trust He will provide us a home soon.”
Do I still believe that? Yes! But I need to reevaluate the word, soon. How long is that? Does it mean any of these?
Before long
Any old day now
Before you know it
Lickity-split
In no time
We moved to Tennessee eight weeks ago. Maybe I should have used one of these instead.
Sooner or later
Sometime
Eventually
In the long run
In the course of time
Instead of using the word “soon,” or any of those above, a better way for me to state this would be, “in His time.” God will provide us a home when He’s ready and when we’re where He wants us to be.
In the meantime, we’re not giving up. We’ll continue to look for a house and walk in faith. We want to be in His perfect will and place.
When disappointment and discouragement creep in and I’m tempted to say, “this stinks,” I read my Bible aloud to increase my faith and spend extra time in prayer. I know that in His time we will find our home.
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,
and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Romans 10:17, NIV
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez - Unsplash