I'm writing this in 2025, because I don't want to forget what happened a few years ago ... so I'm hopping in a time machine ... back to fall 2022. After 5 years of renting, I had a sizeable amount of money saved towards the purchase of our first home. This was no small feat, parenting solo while homeschooling isn't known to allow for a really awesome cash flow! But by the grace of God, some awesome customers, and some wonderful people at church ... we had quite a bit saved. I started to watch the housing market for the right house for us.
And then, in fall 2022, the perfect house came along. It had a huge yard, a garden, it was well built and well taken care of, it needed some cosmetic work but all the expensive stuff was updated already. The price was right. It seemed like it was meant to be :) The girls and I went to see it and became really excited. I contacted a mortgage broker to see about qualifying on the mortgage ... and ... a glitch. Because I'd need mortgage insurance (due to a small amount down), I needed to have a bigger down payment than what I had. I was a few thousand dollars short. Try as I might, I couldn't scrape together that money. A beautiful friend of mine offered to loan me the funds ... yay! I contacted the broker to present that option ... and yet another disappointment. In order to qualify as part of the down payment, the money needed to be a gift, not a loan. My heart sank yet again. My friend was willing to write a letter, saying the money was a gift ... but we both new that it wasn't really, it was a loan in truth. I wanted to go with the lie so badly, and get the house I wanted. But deep inside, I knew that if I had to lie to make it happen ... there's no way that house could be God's plan for us. His plan wouldn't require dishonesty to make it work out.
I actually sat in my van, parked in front of that house, and cried. I'd left no stone unturned. I had to let it go. It sold fast. I couldn't understand why it happened that way, and I struggled with discontentment and disappointment. But I trusted God anyway. I kept working and kept saving. Hilariously, just a month later, I had the funds I would have needed ... but no new houses came on the market that were in my budget LOL. Prices kept going up. I thought surely, I'd be renting our mouse-infested place for forever.
Then one day, in March 2023, a lady from church reached out to me. She knew of a woman in town who was planning to sell her house and move into Pine Valley Lodge. This woman had owned the house with her husband since it was built in 1956. They'd raised their children in it, and had grandchildren and great-grand children visit. She wanted the house to be purchased by someone nice who would love it. The girls and I went to see it, and fell in love ... the house was even better for us than the one in the fall had been. My prayer had always been for a house that was safe, clean, and affordable, with a yard. God gave me all that, plus a beautiful sun porch, cute bay windows for plants, and a heated garage to park my car in! I never dared to even hope for a garage. But God knew that on those winter days, with no one to dig and scrape but me/myself/I, that garage would help me feel a bit less alone. With a direct sale, the seller and I were able to compromise on a price that was do-able. The girls and I got our home, and the seller got to know that her house would continue to be filled with love.
I'm so glad I didn't settle for the house that I thought was perfect. God's plan involved some short-term disappointment, but long term, was even better. I find it really interesting how God didn't slam the door on that first house ... it was open a crack. If I had been willing to be dishonest, I could have made it work ... and I would have missed out on the best plan yet. I pray that I never forget that lesson, and that my daughters never do, either. I wonder how many times, our own free will leads us into situations that are OK ... but God had even better plans? I pray that God guides you the way He has guided me.
Lord, I pray you continue to guide me, all the days of my life. Thank you for our home and thank you that you have been with me every step of every day. Amen.
