Here we are! We have keys!!! We've come full circle in more ways than one. It is exciting times! This summer was packed full! Full of decisions, stress, fear, loss, and grief, followed by peace, comfort, and trust in the Living God! What a roller coaster ride the last few months have been!
Feeling Gods leading last fall we tried to sell our house to move "back home". We had two offers in the first two weeks, but both fell through. We took the house off the market just before the snow started flying to save ourselves from a hard move on an icy hill. We figured we would work some more on the house and re-list it in the spring. Nick took his vacation and began work on the downstairs entry. He added a wall, dry walled, and painted. It looked a 1000 times better even though it was still incomplete when we re-listed. We were ambitious and thought we could get the whole basement dry walled in a week... Yeah, not really. Nick had to go back to work and we needed to re-list.
We put the house back on the market May 1st. Three weeks later we agreed on a contract with a buyer! During that same time we began looking for homes "back home". Wow. That is not easy! We looked at several and were disappointed in our finds. During our search we were told that the house that I have been wanting for a couple years took a second price drop and was actually now in our price range! {Gods timing is perfect! Probably why our house didn't sell last fall???} We began negotiations with the seller which I thought would be cut and dry, but was nothing of the sort. They played hard ball.
Big decisions to be made. Where we over extending ourselves? I mean, Nick was planning on changing jobs. No, not just changing jobs, but job fields. Which meant starting from the bottom up. Bigger house payment...less money coming in...have kids to think about...need to eat...
During this time of monumental decision making, I miscarried. Talk about getting hit while you are already down. Not only were we trying to figure out what to do about a house, but we lost a baby. What do you do? We put our complete trust in God. We gave up control. And after much prayer and petition we had peace that God was going to provide everything we need. And did He ever!
July was a whirlwind. Packing, still doing school with Wyatt, moving all of our stuff, Nick applied for a new job, Nick got a call back from that and found they were willing to wait until we closed on the new house to have him start {God provided!}, a full week of helping with VBS, closing on our old house, moving the last bit of our stuff, began staying with my parents...
August slowed down. We got a closing date set for the 15th the day after our ten year anniversary. Nick took his last weeks vacation to help save commuting that same week. He also worked it out that once we closed on the new house he would be done there and would be able to start the new job right away. So Friday the 15th came, we closed, and Monday he began his new job. {God provided once again!} But that's not all. We have been blessed with the same pay as he had before! Praise God!!! What a huge relief, burden lifted and prayer answered!
I am so incredibly grateful for what God has done in our life. We took a huge risk in moving back home with less job opportunity and not being sure if we would be able to find a house that would be a good fit for us. We were met with doubt and skepticism from some. But, while there was a lot of unknown, we could be certain of one thing. If it is Gods will, it will happen, and sometimes God waits to act until we step out on faith.
Joshua 3 talks about moment the Israelites entered the promised land. They had to cross the Jordan River at FLOOD stage. God did not part the water until the priests took the first step into the river. It is a crazy, do or die kind of moment. Do you trust Gods promises and see the big things God has in store for you, or do you play it safe with what you are most comfortable with. I have noticed the more uncomfortable I am the more growth I see in myself and the more I see God work. It is a great place to be!
So, why full circle?
It is funny in way how life works. I started out going to church, I believed in God, asked Him to live in my heart, I got older, turned away from that commitment, wanted nothing more than to move as far away from home as possible. After moving to Grand Rapids I began to search and question myself, recommitted myself to the Lord, moved to Waters. Began to serve and act on my faith, and have made it back home. Literally right behind my mom and dads. Full circle! In more ways than one!
