In 2008, my wife and I have added a new child to the family (the Samster), began a recording project, attempted (and failed) to potty train our daughter, and now we've decide to buy a house. Not exactly good long term goal planning.
This house process is quite stressful. If you have never done it before, don't assume that it will be all fun because it is actually a lot of hard work and stress. Driving around looking at ugly, dilapidated homes. Rushing out to last minute meetings with the agent, the bank, the rehab adviser, the contractor, the inspector, the sewer inspector, or the other contractor. Meanwhile, our kids are not all of a sudden transformed into statues when we need them to be quiet and compliant. Joanna and Sam need just as much attention even though we're dragging them to a meeting where all we do is sign our name on a million documents.
On top of all that, there's the emotions of courting a home that might at any turn decide that it's too good for you or you might find out that it has major dysfunctions. Can I commit emotionally to a house without assurance that this relationship will last? Should I pursue this house even though it might end in an emotional let-down? I thought that I was through with courtship after getting married, but it feels just like I'm doing that mess all over again.
Over and over, it is testing my faith in the promises of God. God's promise is that He is my portion and my lot. His promise is that if I seek first the kingdom, then all that I need will be provided for. His promise is that in Christ, I have died to the world and it's fleshly desires, and I am a new creation. His promise is that through the gospel, I can rest in the confidence that nothing can separate me from the love of Christ (not even debt, crime, or foreclosure.) His promise is that He will fight my battles and so I shouldn't despair that I am not smart enough to catch every rip-off, not strong enough to protect my family from every enemy, and not wealthy enough to afford every comfort.
The house that Sarah and I are looking at is pretty amazing. There's no way we could have afforded it, but because it's a foreclosure property, it's within our budget. It's hard not to look at it and say, "this is too good to be true, and therefore, I will walk away from it because it's probably a trap of some kind." But, the promises of God bring me back to the fact that God loves to lavish blessings on his children. He wants to lead us beside still water and green pastures. I have a view of God's grace that says that I have to pay for every blessing with a trial. Why can't I just accept the bread from the hand of my heavenly Father without thinking that He's going to switch it at the last minute with a stone?
Please pray for me and and my family during these next few months. Closing day is October 25. After that there would be a few weeks of repair work and then we'd move in around mid to late November. Insanity!!!