Sometimes we don’t see the big picture…
Ok I am using this space to give you an update on my house searching, etc.. God is taking care of manly man and I and I know there are lessons to be learned in all of this. I will start from the beginning since not all of you know what has been happening.
We found a piece of land that we loved. It was in a neighborhood we loved, I found it the day I got my braces removed. I was so excited I sat by the curb and called manly man and said, “you won’t believe this.†So there started our dreaming, no our house had not sold but we were considering purchasing the lot to secure it, and then begin building when we sold our current house.
Then I head to Phoenix, while I am there I seek all the counsel I can get my hands on. My Dad, the wisest man on earth, my brother in law, who is a Mortgage Broker, and everyone else who would listen to me ramble on about the land. I contacted Realtors to let them know we are very interested. I was beginning to get really excited and very nervous.
I have turned this house stuff over to the Lord, I have told him I don’t want to move forward until he is ready to bless us. The end. Period.
I went ahead to fill out the loan to be pre-qualified (I was so nervous I was going to through up). If you have ever read my testimony I have such fear of making a wrong turn now. We were pre-qualified and were ready to possibly make an offer. During the few days between the financial people sending us the packet until it arrived at our house. I began to get cold feet. I prayed, Lord if we should wait on this property and not move forward please let my husband agree with me so we can be on the same page. So one evening I said, “Honey, how about we wait one month for the land, we are going on vacation soon, and I know if this land is God’s will it will be there when we return.†Without skipping a beat he said, “I totally agree.†I was shocked, but then I had a sense of relief flood over me. On Thursday I finally got the nerve to call up the financial people and informed them we were waiting a month. That same night, my Realtor showed up at my door with the packet of the lands survey and deed restrictions for us to review.
As soon as I sat down for some nightly reading of contractese I realized this was not the right property. I took the map to my husband because I have been known to be wrong a few times in the past. And he looked at it and said, no that is not the right piece, this lot is located across the street from the one we want. You see there was another piece for sale, but it was For Sale By Owner. For the life of me I could not figure out how (not my Realtor, but the one selling it could get the only piece she has for sale in that area incorrect).
Long story short (and to be honest the whole story is still not figured out), but her sign was on the wrong lot piece. The lot we love WAS NEVER FOR SALE. I am still baffled and look forward to seeing how this plays out. The other Realtor says she fears the owners don’t realize that the property we love is not their property, and that her sign was moved. I don’t know.
But I called my parents and said, I am laughing because I can tell the Lord’s hand has been in this the whole time. Guiding me, making me feel uneasy when I knew I should wait, and leading us to WAIT. Of course I was thinking, well maybe the Lord is selling my house in a month and then that would change things. This is just another example of how we never know the whole story of what is going on around us.
What I have learned:
1 Anxiety wastes time, I spent a lot of time in Phoenix researching, fretting, stressing.
2. God is in control, He sees the big picture.
3. Go with your gut feelings, if something is not feeling “right†more then likely it is not, dig deeper.
We still like the property and in a few weeks my Realtor might contact the owners to see if they are even interested in selling. But if not, then I know it was God’s will and I am not going to stand in the way.
Heavenly Father, thank you for leading and guiding me. I am sorry for my unbelief that I display in my anxious thoughts, when I fret and worry; help me to turn everything over to you. And please don’t let me get in the way of your work. Amen!
Hey Laurel,
Thanks for this, it is so true. So often we can get so excited about something and rush in, if we sit back and wait it can often reveal something you would have missed. Anyway, I know everything will work out for you, God has already sorted it, He just hasn’t revealed it to you yet.
Have a lovely relaxing evening,
Del
xxx
Wow Laurel,
This is an amazing story. So very interesting how this has worked its self out….. keep praying. I am holding you before the throne too.
Thank you for sharing this. God is at work in the details!
Laurel- I have been so anxious about us moving across town; I’ve been asking the Lord why we could not move. What was the problem? Naturally, a move makes sense, but here I sit. I’m trying so hard to wait, and it’s hard. Really hard. I don’t know why I’m required to wait, but I’m believing that one day I’ll see it with my eyes.
We are in a similar situation Laurel, although with us we felt right about the property and everything worked out so perfectly we just knew it was the Lord. However, we are still waiting for our house and land to sell (we have been zoned commercial property so it seems to take longer to find a buyer interested in building a commercial building here). We felt so sure – now we wonder why we have had to wait two years and still no buyer. I sometimes really wish God would just leave me a little note on the wall.
So we wait. If this isn’t God’s will for us – we will just stay put and sell that beautiful 5 acres we felt so sure the Lord wanted us to buy. There is always something to be learned in the waiting.
As always, God blessed you for your seeking and your obedience. Thank you for telling us about this…it encourages my faith and reminds me to look toward the long-term and eternal and not focus on the mess immediately before me! *wink*
Hi Laurel,
I’ve seen you often on CWO or on Lynn’s blog commenting, so I wanted to stop by. You are so right on the anxiety thing! We often spin our wheels so much when we just don’t need to. This is a hard lesson for me to learn, not only because I think it’s against human nature to wait upon the Lord, and because I have general anxiety. I always have had. However, God is so good. First, His grace IS sufficient (when I’m focusing enough to receive it). Second, as I’ve been growing in him, I’ve needed less and less anxiety meds, and am now at the lowest dose possible. He is so good. Thanks for the reminder.
Thank you Laurel for sharing this. You are right–sometimes we do stand in the way of our Lord. I know I do. I want to do things right, but sometimes I don’t wait on Him, because I am impatient.
I am looking forward to see what the Lord is doing in your house situation. Until then, enjoy the summer months with your family–you know that He will work everything out for y’all.
Thanks for you sharing this out to us… It is really a big lesson for me to wait for Lord’s time and plan…
You are right, only the Lord can see the big picture for our lives.
A bit out of everything–things are busy/crazy/definitely something here. This was wondeerful and I really enjoyed seeing how God is working–it is always an encouragment to remember that He is at work. 🙂
“Anxiety wastes time” needs to be tattooed on my forehead! Thanks for sharing—what a great lesson for me today!
Thank you so much for sharing your faith with us. The Lord knows how to work it all out, doesn’t He? So blessed by your post. {{Hugs}}