A *Different* Kind of "Yes"

Maybe you heard. Perhaps I shared with you about the wonderful house hunt we were on.




Maybe you even know about the perfect house for us that we put in an offer on. This house was a short sale but that didn't bother us. Oh, it was perfect. It had the extra space we so need. It had a partially finished basement with loads of storage space, a work bench, and a half-bath. It had hardwood floors. It had beautiful wall colors (that I would not have chosen for myself, but I didn't need to change as they were neutral and easier to not fuss with). It even had an updated kitchen (be still, my heart) where I could cook AND dance if I wanted.


Oh, it was perfect.


We finally heard back about the offer we made. Of course, the bank made a counter offer. To their offer, we countered and they countered back.


Ping-pong, anyone?


All seemed well with the number we were looking at. But before we gave the "green light" to our agent to move the paperwork along, the hubster and I sat down to look at the numbers against our budget. You know, how much we need to bring to closing, how much we need to save for our vacation to Florida in September, how much we need to freshen up the condo to rent...that kind of stuff.


Suddenly, a sharp turn came in our conversation. I sat and stared at this number compared to the actual amount of money we had. It wasn't enough. Not only was it not enough, it fell far short of where we needed to be. I heard myself say, "We can't do this. No. We need to let this go."


My eyes welled up with tears and I lay my head on the table.


In that moment, though, I wasn't sad. I was sure. I knew that this "perfect" house is not the house. This "perfect" time is not the time. And it's OK.


The hubster and I talked and talked. Would we go back and look for something else priced a little lower? Would we wait and save up the money we were missing to look again later?


What we determined was that we're supposed to learn a lesson from all of this. And can I tell you? I think it just hit me TODAY what that lesson is. It hit me while I was cleaning my bathroom. I looked at the mirror as I was washing it and saw this scripture; "Let your manner of living be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have. For He hath said, 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee'". (Hebrews 13:5) Now, I wrote this on a piece of paper about a year ago? I'm not sure when. I just know it was a long while ago. But I honestly haven't looked at it or thought about it in a while.  


Humbling. 


Why do I let myself get so unsettled and uncomfortable? Why do I make myself believe that I need more than I have? It's all in perspective and living with a grateful heart.


Anyway, if you've read through all of that, thank you. :)


The good news here is that we're going to be making the big changes we need to make to our small home to make it work better for us. We'll be doing renovation projects one by one until our home is comfortable and welcoming. Finally, I won't be embarrassed by the appearance of my home. We'll be following through on all of the things we once said, "one day..." to. You better believe, I'm making a list of things to purchase and change. I'm also picturing paint colors and hard wood colors in my head. 


This could turn out to be a very fun summer, indeed. :)