First off, yes, you are correct if you have wondered if our house is for sale...or if you have driven by and seen the sign and wondered if that was a figment of your imagination.
But to answer the most common question....No...we are not leaving Tomah!!! We are still pastors here and don't plan to change that anytime soon! We have had random people in town (people who we don't even know) come up to us and say they saw our house for sale and wondered if we were getting a different pastor position. Kinda funny how people know who we are and where we live and we don't even know those people!
We love being pastors here in Tomah. We love our church and all the people here. This is our home...and our family. So please rest assured that we aren't going anywhere anytime soon!
So then. Why in the world would we sell our house?
That's a question I've asked God myself many times in the past month. I absolutely love our home! We have 5 bedrooms which means we have enough room when all our kids are home...plus we have additional space for friends they might have over or for our parents if they are visiting. We have 2 living rooms, one of which has my office space where I work everyday. We have a gorgeous (and I mean GORGEOUS) screened in deck with a serene view. In fact, as I write this now, I am sitting on our deck which Scooby lounges here and watches for wildlife. Our deck is my perfect place for prayer time!
When I think about leaving this house, it makes me sad! We've put time and money into fixing up this house to be the perfect place for our family. It's home. It's my safe place. It's the place that makes me happy. It's the place my kids call home.
So when my husband posed the question a few months back about downsizing and moving to a different house, I was obviously completely against the idea. What....was he crazy? I would never leave my home. Besides the fact that I totally HATE the moving process. Why pack up everything and move across town? That seemed silly. His reasoning was that we certainly didn't need a 5 bedroom house that was this large when all our kids would be grown and out of the house in a very short time. I saw his point. But still...this is HOME!
As the months passed, my husband didn't say much more about his thought about moving. He made a few comments, all of which I quickly dismissed. In fact, one day we were going to a rummage sale in a neighborhood in Tomah and he said, "Would you ever want to live in a house in this area?" Again, I quickly shut down his thoughts.
Um...what do you think? I don't want to move!
Or so I thought.
God began to work on my heart. Slowly...yes...I take more time than some....
As we took our new youth pastors around to look at houses for them, something stirred within me. Something so foreign. I began to see myself living in a different place. It began to look exciting. It began to be an idea that I entertained.
Could I really do this? Is this really what God was speaking to us?
After much prayer since that point, my husband and I have discerned the voice of God is in fact leading us to put our house on the market. I know this is a God thing. He has stirred both of our hearts in the same direction. Me...just a bit slower than my husband...
Our heart's desire is to keep in step with the Spirit. We want to walk the path God has for us, even if it means taking steps of faith. And let me tell you, putting your beloved house on the market is definitely a step of faith!
What is God's plan for us? I don't know exactly. That remains to be seen. God doesn't show us the whole picture at once. I mean, if He did, we would have no reason to trust in Him, right? I know His plan is for us to stay in Tomah. I know that He has prompted us to put our house on the market. I know that He has led us to a house that we put an offer on (and has been accepted contingent on us selling ours). And this very house just happens to be in the same neighborhood where we were at the rummage sale when my husband suggested we move!
But beyond that???? It's all steps of faith. It's in God's hands now. It's up to Him to determine where this goes from here. We've done our part, now He does His part! He will either bring a buyer for our house...or He will have us stay in our house that we are in now.
I don't know know exactly why He's prompting us to do this. I just know we have to obey. The rest is up to Him.
If He doesn't sell our house, I will be happy staying here! And then you wonder why He would have us put it on the market if it doesn't sell. Well, maybe He just wants to see if we are faithful. Would we give up our house that we love if He asked us to? Would we follow him blindly?
And if He does sell our house, well I have to believe that our new house would be even better than the one we have now. I believe if we end up moving, I'll find even more "home" in that house. I also believe that He'll make that a home for our kids!
No matter what happens, we are just gonna stay in step with our God!
I just found your blog and am enjoying reading your posts. This one encouraged me because Greg and I are really praying in the same arena. We have lived in our home since we got married -- almost 24 years -- the thought of moving terrifies me. BUT if it's God's plan, He'll see it through -- just like he did for you!
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