Faith wouldn’t be strengthened without it being tested. Waiting is hard. Sometimes it feels even harder to wait on the Lord. I once thought a strength of mine was patience. I would include it on job applications and in essay questions on my applications to graduate school. It wasn’t until I became a wife and mother that I quickly realized patience was much harder to practice when you no longer have control over the flow of your day.
As a child, you don’t always see the battles your parents face daily. Once you become an adult, the world is much more complicated. This is why it is so important to train up a child in the way they should go so that when they are old, they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). When you walk in faith, that faith will be tested. But, you praise the Lord anyway and trust in His promise.
What God Has For Us Is Ours
So, what inspired this blog post? Well, our house buying journey over the last three months. In August, we sold our first home. It was exciting, the market was great (for sellers), and we got over our asking. There were some bumps in the road and we learned quite a bit from the experience. Mostly we learned to make sure we request repairs be made after inspection when buying and investing in a property. You don’t want to acquire the cost if you sell that property. However, we were still blessed by that sale.
Now, buying our second home has been a very long, discouraging, and exhausting journey. We began searching in July, put offers in on multiple homes which were outbid, and actually made it through the offer acceptance stage on two homes that did not work out in the end. Here we are in October, back at the drawing board after spending money on inspections, dog boarding, storage, and more.
Through it all, we have been blessed with being able to stay with family while we search for our home. We know not to rush, because buying and investing in a home is no small matter. Even though I miss having our own space and the kids miss homeschooling freely in all their wild and messy glory, we know that what God has for us is for us.
Renewed Strength
This blog isn’t just about our house hunting journey. It is about trial and faith in general. The struggle during seasons our faith is being tested.
One thing that I struggle with is change and lack of stability. I like control because I feel like there is safety in predictability. It is hard for me to start something or make a decision without first calculating what will happen if I choose wrong. This could be connected to childhood trauma. It is an area I am currently doing the self-work to change. Adulting and becoming a mother have tested my faith in so many ways. Choosing a lifestyle that goes against the norm is also an area of faith. I’m learning to “be still and know…” (Psalm 46:10).
They that wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength
They shall mount up, up on wings
Like an eagle, and they soar
They shall walk, and not get weary
They shall run, and not faint
That’s what happens when you wait
Wait On You – Elevation Church & Maverick City
Great Is Your Faithfulness
It’s all about what we do during the wait. Instead of complaining and sulking in my sadness and disappointment, which I did for a while, I started to thank the Lord for the lesson and adjust. My strength renewed, just as it has always been. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Trusting His Promise
Many people would say none of what we have made it through has anything to do with God because if He were real, we wouldn’t have gone through those things. But that is not what Christianity is. It does not exempt one from the struggle. We wouldn’t need our savior if that were the case. So, I trust in His promise, as I always have, since I was a little girl staring death in the face. My God kept me in the midst of the storm then, and He will for the rest of my days on this Earth. Whether it’s finding a new home, homeschooling, motherhood, challenges in marriage, loss, trauma, healing, etc.
I put my faith in Jesus
My anchor to the ground
My hope and firm foundation
He’ll never let me down
Promises (feat. Joe L. Barnes and Naomi Raine)- Maverick City | TRIBL
So, this is for those in a season called to wait on the Lord and trust His promise. Be still and know.
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