North of Here

A few years ago when the housing market "bubble" was at the point where it was just about to blow, we put our home on the market.  We wanted to move closer to family.  In 6 months we had a grand total of 2 realtors show our house. It was obvious that we were not going anywhere.  Mind you, had we sold our house then we would have had a significant amount of money to put down on another one with quite a bit left to pay off debt, decorate a new place, etc.

To be totally truthful, I never felt free to move.  But I really really REALLY wanted to.  I wanted to be near my sister and my mom.  I wanted to have instant access to my nieces and nephews.  I wanted to be in on the spur of the moment stuff, like coffees and mani pedis. You know, the important stuff! I, I, I, I ay ay ay!

But God knows my heart. He had something better than leaving here right then - this home of 11 years, our church and friends, the kid's schools and their circle of friends.  So we took our house off the market and just settled back in.

Again, I would be a bold faced liar if I tried to pretend that I didn't still want to move "home".

However, I resolved myself to the fact that Chad's call to the pastorate would likely lead us further away, not closer. So instead of stomping my feet I buckled down and prayed for grace to trust in the One who always does what's best for me.  Since God is infinitely more creative and endlessly resourceful it was, at times, really exciting thinking about the possibilities of where, when and how.  Exciting and terrifying. Very often those thoughts consumed me and after a while I was convinced we'd end up in Scotland or even San Diego. Ha!

Since God rarely does things according to my brilliant ideas -ok, never- it was no surprise that Chad and I were each separately approached by different individuals asking us when/if we were going to church plant just north of here. ON THE SAME DAY!

Just north of here??  Really?  Not Stockton or Barstow?

You know, we had this expectation that God would drive a bus through our front door with the name of wherever he had called us emblazoned across the front. He was way more gentle than that. Phew!

So I asked, "yeah Chad, are we? and when?"  He said, "let's start praying". We did. Then we started sharing our hearts with some people we trust and they started praying.  With every step in that direction we have reminded each other that, "the heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." Proverbs 16:9

The biggest step so far, besides actually beginning the study, which we did.- has been putting our house back on the market. And we did that too.  This past Friday.  It's now Monday and we have had 4 offers on our home in less than 72 hours.  My dear friend said it best, "I love that God doesn't believe in half measures!"  And I couldn't agree more. Not only is Chad being called and confirmed in the pastorate but we are actually moving "home".  That's where just north of here is.